Starting from 1 January 2024, SPAR Austria will merge its two sales units - company-owned and independent retailer sales, following a decision by the management board. This change is prompted by the upcoming retirement of Alois Huber, the current head of sales for independent SPAR retailers, in March 2024. Gerhard Weinberger, already responsible for the company-owned stores, will lead the new sales unit. Michael Pecher will be the new head of independent retail sales, and Romana Kaufmann will expand her existing role to include the coordination of all SPAR stores.

All three are long-standing SPAR Austria employees and experienced professionals. The goal of this reorganisation is to combine the knowledge from both sales units, thereby increasing knowledge sharing. The announcement from SPAR Austria states that this solution is initially planned for about one year.

“There is a wealth of knowledge and experience in the currently separate sales units of company-owned stores and independent SPAR retailers. Therefore, we intend to make this know-how usable for all within the business in the best possible way. I emphasise that the focus is on benefitting all sectors. By setting this course, we are securing the success of both sales units”, said Hans K. Reisch, Deputy Chairman SPAR Austria.

Gerhard Weinberger – Head of overall retail

Born in Upper Austria, Gerhard Weinberger (56) started his career with SPAR Austria as an apprentice. During several career phases, he very successfully managed the company-owned store organisation in Upper Austria for 19 years. In 2022, he was appointed Head of Austria’s company-owned store organisation at the central office.

Michael Pecher – Head of retail sales

Michael Pecher (48), who holds a doctorate in business administration, started as an INTERSPAR Hypermarket trainee. After diverse roles beyond SPAR, he rejoined the company in 2005, overseeing the coordination of company-owned stores and serving as a crisis coordinator.

Romana Kaufmann – Head of company-owned store coordination

Romana Kaufmann (38), a business administration graduate, has led information management and projects in branches since 2017. In this role, she was responsible for the professional handling of projects, including the introduction of the new checkout system, and for rapid communication with the stores. She is very much looking forward to developing new programmes and tools for SPAR stores and retailers.

Alois Huber – Head of sales for independent retailers retires

Alois Huber (64) retires on 1 April 2024, after more than 40 years at SPAR Austria, including 15 years heading sales for independent SPAR retailers. His role continues until 31 December 2023, with the new structure starting on 1 January 2024.

Source: SPAR Austria

Read more about SPAR Austria.

About SPAR Austria

The origins of SPAR in Austria date back to 1954, but the current SPAR AG was created in 1970 when the original founding families joined other regional wholesalers to form SPAR Austria AG – a 100% privately owned Austrian company.

With licences granted by SPAR International, ASPIAG (Austria SPAR International AG) has developed the brand in Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, and Northern Italy. SPAR Austria became the market leader in the Austrian grocery trade in 2020 and has maintained this leadership position in 2022.