With a strong community focus, SPAR Gran Canaria has established a lot of social initiatives on the island that consistently promote local culture, education and support families in need. Varying initiatives connect the retail chain to the local community and allow for fostering connections with shoppers.

Supporting local culture   

Music is an important part of Gran Canaria’s heritage. Recognising that, SPAR Gran Canaria fosters long-term partnerships that promote the preservation of Canarian folklore and social inclusion through music. In June this year, SPAR Gran Canaria renewed a collaboration agreement with local music group Los Gofiones for the 21st consecutive year. A continuous collaboration agreement was also signed between SPAR Gran Canaria and the Canary Islands Ochosílabas Foundation, as well as the School of Verse Makers. The collaboration promotes the teaching and dissemination of the Canarian verse-making tradition among the residents.    

Another way SPAR Gran Canaria supports local music culture is through a partnership with the educational and social project Barrios Orquestados. For the ninth year, the SPAR retail chain is partnering with the project that widens access to music by offering free music training to children from vulnerable families.    

Helping families   

Following on from the support provided through access to music, SPAR Gran Canaria places a strong emphasis on helping local families in need. SPAR Gran Canaria has once again participated in the “Spring Collection” charity campaign, an initiative that supports the Las Palmas Food Bank in food collection.  With vast support from SPAR shoppers on the island, 21,581 kilos of products were collected.

Another recent promotional initiative joined by SPAR Gran Canaria is the “No Home Without Food” campaign, promoted by the “la Caixa” Foundation and CaixaBank, aimed at helping families struggling to meet their basic food needs. In this edition, the supermarket chain donated 1,400 one-litre cartons of SPAR whole milk and 600 one-kilo cartons of Yugui Millo gofio to the Las Palmas Food Bank, a campaign partner.   

Following the latest campaign, SPAR Gran Canaria president Ángel Medina said, “Solidarity is not a one-time thing, but a value that is part of SPAR Gran Canaria’s daily operations and is reflected in concrete actions such as this collection. Seeing how each contribution transforms into hope for those most in need moves us deeply,” he concluded.  

Focus on efficiency and innovation  

SPAR Gran Canaria continues to invest in store renovation designed to give customers an even more pleasant shopping experience as well as efficient use of resources. Recent renovations of SPAR supermarket Valsequillo and SPAR supermarket Teror consisted of the installation of new high-performance refrigeration units with doors, reducing energy consumption and the installation of electronic labels, eliminating the use of paper. Among other changes, the lighting in the stores was connected to a self-consumption photovoltaic system, ensuring energy self-sufficiency during peak hours. A wide variety of fresh, locally sourced foods made available in stores further reflects the sustainability strategy of SPAR Gran Canaria and its commitment to local sourcing.    

Source: SPAR Gran Canaria

Read more about SPAR in Spain.

About SPAR Spain

SPAR Spain was founded in 1959 when a group of wholesalers who wished to join an international organisation came together. As a result, the brand became the first voluntary trading chain to be established in Spain, having been granted a license by SPAR International. Together, regional SPAR wholesalers continue to actively expand the brand across the country.