SPAR, the world’s largest food retail voluntary organisation, with a presence of over 13,300 stores in 48 countries worldwide, has today announced further expansion in Africa with the launch of the brand in the Republic of Ghana.

The development will see the conversion of 17 existing supermarkets in and around the capital city Accra. Future growth and development opportunities will be generated by offering expertise to local independent retailers wishing to benefit from partnering with a proven global brand, leading to fast-tracked development across the market. SPAR in Ghana will complement locally sourced products, benefiting the local economy by bringing goods to customers, with an internationally tried and tested range of SPAR Own Brand products.

SPAR’s growth strategy in the region has seen the popularity of the brand increase significantly in Africa in recent years. Ghana represents the twelfth market to join the SPAR family in the last three years. The country has been identified by industry analysts as one of the most promising retail markets for international growth worldwide. This step builds on SPAR’s already strong presence in Africa, where the existing 10 countries account for 16% of the global turnover of €37.1 billion from 1,055 stores in these markets*.

The SPAR Brand in Ghana is licenced to EcoDi (Economic Distribution Company Ghana) which will utilise its existing infrastructure, including a distribution centre, to support the supply chain to existing stores and to small-scale producers. Accessing the global range of SPAR Own Brand products will enhance the retail offering by including locally, regionally and internationally sourced items to customers.

Tobias Wasmuht, CEO SPAR International said about the expansion: “We are delighted to be partnering with EcoDi to launch the SPAR Brand in Ghana. Combining the best of international retail and local knowledge, I am confident that SPAR will be well received in this vibrant and dynamic country which has a young demographic and growing population. There is also great potential in working with local Ghanaian food producers to source for the SPAR international network as well as our future store network in Ghana and we shall embrace these opportunities together.”

Supporting the growth of independent wholesalers and retailers for almost 90 years, SPAR is known for contributing significantly to the elevation of retail expertise, working closely with partners in their markets. Utilising the brand’s global scale and synergies identified across markets, SPAR drives growth, tapping into the extensive resources available to support the modernisation of both retail and wholesale divisions of all.

As the world’s largest food retail voluntary chain with a footprint that extends across forty-eight countries, SPAR International remains committed to working with partners to deliver the SPAR way of serving its communities, securing the health and safety of colleagues, collaborating with supplier partners and delivering quality service to customers.

*The 2019 International SPAR Annual Report which includes details shown above can be read by clicking this link.