Ruud van Munster succeeds John van der Ent as CEO of SPAR Holding B.V.

February 4, 2025 IN THE CATEGORY: People

SPAR Netherlands announced that Ruud van Munster will be SPAR Holdings B.V. CEO as of 1 May 2025. After seven years as CEO of SPAR Netherlands, John van der Ent stepped down from his position for personal reasons on 1 February 2025, following consultation with the Supervisory Board.

Farewell to John van der Ent 

“After 26 years in the role of CEO at various companies in food and non-food retail, it is time to take a step back. It has been an honour and fantastic experience to be able to lead the transition to the best convenience store in the Netherlands over the past seven years working together with the entrepreneurs, employees and SPAR partners,” said John van der Ent. 

John Kruijssen, Chairman of Supervisory Board SPAR Holding B.V. , said: “Under John’s leadership, SPAR Netherlands has experienced solid growth. His strategic choices and collaborative partnerships, including with EG Group for SPAR Express, have made a significant contribution to SPAR Netherland’s development. We thank John for his efforts and dedication over the past years and wish him every success in his new activities.” 

Ruud van Munster: an experienced retailer 

With the appointment of Ruud van Munster, SPAR Netherlands is bringing in a proven leader with an impressive track record in various retail sectors. After KPN/TNT Post, Ruud fulfilled various roles within Shell’s global retail organisation for ten years. In 2010, he made the switch to Automotive Retail as Managing Director, followed by a period as Director of Marketing at Detailresult. In the second half of 2018, he made the switch to Nederlandse Drogisterij Service (DA). 

As Managing Director of DA, he successfully strengthened the network of independent drugstores, focusing on local needs and customer-centric business. This experience is closely aligned with SPAR’s philosophy, where the strength of independent retailers is an essential part of success. 

Ruud van Munster said: “I am honoured to take over from John van der Ent and to continue the journey that SPAR Netherlands has been taking with the independent retailers and the team in Waalwijk. SPAR is a fantastic, long-standing Dutch brand with potential to become even more successful, a future to which I would like to contribute”. 

The management team of SPAR Holding B.V. will comprise Ruud van Munster, Tom Bussink (CFO as of 1-2-2025), Chantal de Rijk-Bex, and Pim Dirckx. 

Source: SPAR Netherlands

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About SPAR Netherlands

The SPAR brand was founded in the Netherlands in 1932 by the Dutch wholesaler Adriaan van Well. It was established as a voluntary chain of grocers under the name DESPAR – an acronym of a slogan created by van Well to describe the organisation: Door Eendrachtig Samenwerken Profiteren Allen Regelmatig. SPAR Netherlands’ main distribution centre supports licensed independent retailers operating throughout the country.

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