Owners of SPAR Coagh, Graham Johnson and Andy Davis celebrate the store being the 300th SPAR to open in Northern Ireland, with Henderson Group Joint Managing Director, Martin Agnew.
Download imageSPAR Coagh has brought 24 new jobs to the local area and represents an investment of nearly £500,000 (€582,100).
Paddy Doody, Sales & Marketing Director at SPAR NI operator Henderson Group, said this was a momentous occasion for the business and symbolised the brand’s opportunities to local entrepreneurs.
“SPAR has brought countless opportunities for entrepreneurs, independent retailers and local suppliers since it arrived in the ’60s, and no more so than in recent years. The concept has evolved and developed as consumer shopping behaviour and demands have changed”, Paddy Doody said.
“SPAR is an international network. Our retailers thrive from it on a local level. We offer hundreds of locally sourced fresh ranges and produce which not only meet demand but support our thriving agri-food industry, providing profitable businesses for our retailers, setting them apart from their competitors.”
“We have great ambitions for the remainder of 2021. We will continue to open stores and supermarkets that have been built with the local shopper in mind, including SPAR Coagh, which represents the next era for SPAR and its fresh food offering.”
Local shoppers can expect aisles of fresh bays packed with locally sourced products. Complementing the fresh offering will be a deli serving hot breakfasts, homemade lunches, and carvery dinners.
Andy Davis, who operates the store with Graham Johnston, added, “We are very proud to be operating SPAR Coagh. [It is] a milestone store for the brand, and on a site that has been serving the community for nearly 50 years already.”
“We opened SPAR Cadogan in 2010 and since then have built our own network of SPAR stores across Northern Ireland, employing over 140 people across six sites. We are passionate about bringing an amazing shopping experience made for those local communities and developing careers within our retail industry”, Andy said.
Source: SPAR UK
The UK became a SPAR member in 1956 when SPAR International granted the SPAR licence to a group of independent wholesalers. There are now five regional partners in the UK. A central office in London provides national marketing and buying services for the group.
SPAR has led the highly competitive convenience market in the UK for many years. Always innovative, the five regional partners have continued to grow the brand. SPAR UK comprises independently owned licensed retailers and company-owned stores. These include forecourts, airports, train stations, city centres, and local neighbourhood stores.
