October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and SPAR country organisations are actively supporting this important initiative. With an estimated 1 in 12 women¹ at risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime, SPAR country organisations are helping to raise awareness and encourage early detection. This article highlights meaningful initiatives from SPAR partners in Europe and South Africa.

Italy

For the fifth consecutive year, Maiora, which operates the DESPAR brand in central and southern Italy, has renewed its collaboration with Komen Italia, a non-profit association that has been active in the fight against breast cancer since 2000. The partnership comes to life through the ‘La Caravana della Prevenzione’ initiative, a national mobile programme dedicated to health promotion through prevention.

The project provides free breast, urological, and endocrinological screenings at Komen Italia mobile units stationed in parking lots of DESPAR stores, and raises customer awareness through an information campaign.

This year’s Caravan of Prevention began in Corato on 13 October and will make four further stops in October and November.

Slovenia

Around 1,500 women in Slovenia are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. To illustrate this figure, SPAR Slovenia and Europa Donna Slovenija will place 1,500 shopping baskets outside SPAR and INTERSPAR stores across the country in October, one for each woman diagnosed annually.

The campaign, ‘Pay attention to the contents of your baskets’, highlights how quickly people notice changes in their shopping baskets but may overlook changes in their bodies. It encourages women to pay equal attention to their breasts, as regular self-examination and familiarity with their bodies are important steps in protecting their health.

The initiative continues in stores where selected products will support Europa Donna Slovenija. Suppliers will donate 5% of sales from these products to the association. Customers will also receive a pink receipt featuring a QR code linked to breast self-examination guidance and a prize draw.

Croatia

Throughout October, receipts in SPAR and INTERSPAR stores across Croatia will become ‘Pink Bills’. The reverse includes simple breast self-examination guidance and the message ‘Life is the greatest gift’, encouraging customers to make their health part of their everyday routine.

“The pink bill may be just a piece of paper, but if it encourages at least one woman to self-examine or reminds her to make an appointment for a preventive check-up, we have achieved our goal,” said Sandra Kokorić, Marketing Director, SPAR Croatia.

As part of the initiative, SPAR Croatia and Procter & Gamble (P&G) will also donate funds to Europa Donna Croatia, which has supported women affected by breast cancer for decades.

Ireland

For the third consecutive year, SPAR and EUROSPAR in Ireland are supporting the National Breast Cancer Research Institute (NBCRI) as their charity partner.

NBCRI is a national charity that funds a comprehensive research programme at the University of Galway. The partnership has already raised €574,014 for breast cancer research, supporting important work to improve outcomes for people affected by the disease.

South Africa

SPAR South Africa and cancer awareness organisation Cancervive have joined forces for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. From 1 to 31 October 2026, one in every 12 SPAR 500ml Still Water bottles will feature a pink cap, representing the statistic that one in 12 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime.

Every bottle purchased at participating SPAR South Africa stores or through the SPAR2U app during October will support Cancervive’s cancer awareness, education and community initiatives. The campaign aims to encourage people to recognise changes in their bodies, seek medical advice and talk openly about their health.

Cancervive also provides cancer awareness information and support through its online resources, including the Thuto Cancer Chatbot, a multilingual WhatsApp service offering information, education and access to support services.

¹Source: World Health Organization

Sources: Maiora srl, SPAR Slovenia, SPAR Croatia, SPAR Ireland, Communitynewsroom.co.za