SPAR and EUROSPAR operator in Ireland, BWG Foods, plans to open 60 new stores by 2025, taking the total number of stores across the country in their total network to 525. The plan will see an investment of €65 million from BWG Foods, as well as by independent SPAR and EUROSPAR retailers. SPAR and EUROSPAR Supermarkets have significantly grown their presence, adding more than 30 stores to the network since 2021.

Exceptional Sales

Retail sales exceeded €1.6 billion (up 4.5% year-on-year) in 2022 across the combined network of SPAR and EUROSPAR.

Leo Crawford, Chief Executive of BWG Group, said, “Our SPAR and EUROSPAR brands continue to perform very well, and our exceptional sales are a tribute to the strength of the SPAR and EUROSPAR brands which have been at the forefront of the grocery sector in Ireland for the past 60 years.

“We are very confident about the opportunities for future growth and look forward to supporting our retailers to further develop and expand their businesses over the coming years. Changing consumer behaviours are transforming the retail landscape and we will be ensuring that our SPAR and EUROSPAR stores respond with innovative solutions to meet the needs of the more than 1 million customers who visit our stores every day.”

Expansion Plans

BWG Foods has identified several potential greenfield and brownfield sites for the new stores and will be focusing on the emergence of new communities in the vicinity of Ireland’s major cities as new housing developments come up.  The new stores will create over 1,100 new jobs.

BWG Foods has also confirmed its intention to upgrade more than 100 existing stores across Ireland. The renovation plan includes the rollout of a new store design for the EUROSPAR  Supermarket format featuring a number of carbon-reduction measures. These include refrigeration technologies, solar panel installations and recycled fixings.

The announcement came at the time of celebrating the 60th anniversary of the SPAR brand’s presence in Ireland, having first launched in 1963.

Source: SPAR Ireland

Read more about SPAR in Ireland

About SPAR Ireland

SPAR Ireland was established in 1963 when the first store was opened by the Ralph family, still involved in the business today. SPAR Ireland is operated by a leading wholesale and retail company, BWG Foods, a subsidiary of SPAR Group Ltd Southern Africa.

With a presence across the Republic of Ireland, SPAR is one of the country’s largest convenience retail groups. In developing the business, SPAR Ireland has a long track record of recognising the strategic importance of new retail concepts. It operates three of the four SPAR formats: SPAR, EUROSPAR, and SPAR Express. These three formats bring consumers a comprehensive range of innovative products and instore offerings.