In Italy, SPAR Partner Aspiag Service has raised €170,000 during a point collection campaign that ran between February and June of this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the work of the Red Cross even more crucial. SPAR customers in the regions of Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trentino Alto Adige, and Emilia Romagna responded with great solidarity to DESPAR’s call to support the Red Cross through this campaign.

Customers at DESPAR, EUROSPAR, and INTERSPAR stores in the four Italian regions were able to collect points for each €20 spent on groceries. These points could be used to purchase premium Sambonet cookware at a discounted price. For each item purchased in this promotional campaign, DESPAR Partner Aspiag donated €1 to the Italian Red Cross’ ‘Time for Kindness’ initiative.

This programme supports the Regional Red Cross Committees in providing home-based care, social work, health care, and financial support to their local communities. The entire proceeds of the campaign were converted into vouchers redeemable at DESPAR, EUROSPAR, and INTERSPAR stores to purchase necessities for vulnerable people in the four regions where Aspiag Service operates.

Francesco Montalvo, CEO of Aspiag Service, said: “Through ‘Time for Kindness’, we were able to donate €170,000 to the Red Cross, a charity that has shown great commitment and courage in the face of this emergency. This extraordinary result has been achieved thanks to our customers who have shown us, once again, that solidarity and support are our core values. It is on these same pillars that our corporate culture is based.”

“2020 has been a complex year during which we have all had to react to the challenges created by COVID-19. At DESPAR, we did so by investing in safety for the benefit of our customers and employees, as well as in technological development. Above all, we have invested in supporting our communities. This donation is a practical contribution to support the most vulnerable individuals in our society. It is yet another way to prove our closeness to the communities in our four Italian regions”, Francesco Montalvo added.

Source: DESPAR Italia

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About SPAR Italy

SPAR Italy was first granted the licence to operate the SPAR Brand 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 the country. 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.