Beyond providing customers with their daily necessities, DESPAR Italia offers comprehensive support to various local community initiatives, including the San Patrignano rehabilitation centre in northern Italy.

Community support

San Patrignano welcomes those suffering from drug addiction and marginalisation and helps them to find their way once again. It seeks to offer a new life for the families of those suffering by offering reliable and expert guidance.

DESPAR has supported San Patrignano since 2018 by providing employment opportunities to those receiving guidance at the rehabilitation community as well as providing a stable source of income to the charity.

Since 2019, SPAR stores in Italy sell two new DESPAR Premium Private Label cheeses produced at San Patrignano using the highest quality milk from the community’s pastures.

During its 2019 Convention, DESPAR Italia donated €30,000 to the charity. In the past few years, DESPAR Italia has also sponsored the Free Run – a mass participation charity run organised by San Patrignano to promote exercise and healthy lifestyles.

Local sourcing

For DESPAR Italia, local sourcing is of the utmost importance and 98% of its suppliers are producers from the Italian agri-food sector.

Within its buying strategy, DESPAR focuses on establishing strong supplier relationships based on continuity and reciprocal trust, to create value for SPAR customers.

Supporting the local Italian economy will play an even more important role in the coming months, with the complex challenges that the market faces due to the coronavirus.

Source: DESPAR Italia

Read more news from SPAR Italy.

About SPAR Italy

SPAR International first granted a licence for the operation of the SPAR Brand to SPAR Italy in 1959. The first store opened in the latter part of 1960 and with it, SPAR became the first partnership of retailers and wholesalers to operate in Italy. SPAR Italy, known locally as DESPAR Italia, licenses regional partners, all of whom work together to grow the brand across the country.

The DESPAR Partners operate stores under three formats: DESPAR Neighbourhood Supermarkets, EUROSPAR Supermarkets and INTERSPAR Hypermarkets. Many of the larger format stores are company-owned, reflecting the scale of investment required. While the majority of the company’s turnover is acquired through these larger format stores, the independently owned neighbourhood supermarkets remain a key part of the business.