SPAR Italy: Renovated INTERSPAR store in Scalea opens its doors

July 6, 2020 IN THE CATEGORY: Store openings

SPAR Italy partner Maiora has reopened its INTERSPAR store in Scalea, near Cosenza, after a comprehensive renovation aimed at future-proofing this hypermarket. With a sales area of 1,600m2, the compact hypermarket boasts enhanced departments, a new layout, and numerous new services for its customers.

DESPAR Centro-Sud carried out renovation works of this store during the coronavirus emergency, showing great resilience and adaptability to challenging conditions. After working relentlessly in compliance with strict health and safety standards, SPAR Maiora and the INTERSPAR Scalea team are delighted to welcome local shoppers in a pleasant retail environment and surprise them with many new features and services.

A real highlight of the revamped INTERSPAR store is the instore seating area where visitors can enjoy freshly prepared foods purchased at the fresh counters. The Fresh Fish section now features a fried seafood service to offer fragrant foods to eat either instore or take out. The new Frozen department has been expanded and the layout redesigned to improve customer flows.

The fine wine department comprises a vast assortment of the best Italian wines, in a refined shopping environment with high-end fixtures. In total, this INTERSPAR Hypermarket employs 42 SPAR colleagues, providing an important source of employment for its local communities.

Sustainability has been an important focus in redeveloping the whole store, where the latest generation energy-efficient CO2 refrigeration systems have been installed in the Delicatessen, Butchery, Fruit and Vegetables, and Fresh Fish departments. In the self-service fresh produce and Frozen Food sections, new wall cabinets with doors were introduced. Throughout the store, department-specific LED lighting solutions have been implemented, further contributing to the look-and-feel and environmental sustainability of this INTERSPAR store.

Pippo Cannillo, CEO of DESPAR Centro-Sud, commented: “Our renovated INTERSPAR store in Scalea is part of a greater move to revolutionise our retail store offering beyond just products, by providing services, information, and a welcoming place to increasingly well-informed and demanding customers. We have developed this INTERSPAR to provide a world-class shopping experience. And we will keep evolving our retail store proposition to stay ahead of the ever-changing expectations of today’s consumers.”

With this reopening, Maiora reaffirms the strategic importance of the Calabria region for the SPAR Brand, where it already operates 78 stores, including both company owned and independently owned SPAR stores across the three formats SPAR, EUROSPAR, and INTERSPAR.

Source: DESPAR Centro-Sud

Read more news from SPAR Italy.


About SPAR Italy

SPAR International first granted a licence for the operation of the SPAR Brand to SPAR Italy 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 Italy. 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.

Share article on LinkedIn