The Retailer of the Year Award started in 2003 in the Netherlands, upon an initiative of Q&A Insights Europe BV, a research and consultancy firm. In Italy, the award was launched in 2008 and is known as ‘Insegna dell’anno’. Q&A’s Partner in Italy is Beatrice Orlandini, owner of SEIC-Studio Orlandini.
The Retailer of the Year Award initiative comprises 27 categories, assessing 550 retailers on specific criteria such as assortment, customer service, shopping convenience, price, appearance, expertise, and information. DESPAR Italia stood out among 11 other retailers in the Supermarket Category, winning with a total of 3,281 votes.
“We are delighted to receive the coveted Retailer of the Year award, and we share this joy with every single DESPAR customer. We will honour the choice of those who wanted us to be Retailer of the Year 2021–2022 by working with even greater dedication to earn the trust of an ever-increasing number of people”, commented DESPAR Italia General Manager Filippo Fabbri, upon receiving the award.
Quality, safety, value, and innovation have been SPAR’s core brand values in Italy since 1960. For several months, a national SPAR Brand campaign, ‘The Value of Our Choice’, has been running in each of the 1,363 stores in 16 Italian regions, online and on national TV. The campaign expresses DESPAR’s gratitude and closeness to all customers who trust the brand every day through their choice.
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About SPAR Italy
SPAR Italy, known locally as DESPAR Italia, was first granted the SPAR Brand’s licence in 1959. The first store opened in 1960. With it, SPAR became the first partnership of retailers and wholesalers to operate in the country. In addition, SPAR Italy 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 company achieves most of its turnover through these larger format stores, the independently owned neighbourhood supermarkets remain vital.
