Launching in time for the new academic year, the SPAR store, owned by the University Student Union, has had a full internal refurbishment and new refrigeration installed, which has transformed the shopping experience and the range of products available to students on campus.
There has been a significant extension to ambient, fresh food, and frozen ranges instore, and several mouth-watering food-to-go concepts have also been introduced.
James Hall & Co. Ltd, SPAR UK’s primary wholesaler and distributor for the North of England, is also providing the SPAR store with its complete package of food-to-go products, further strengthening ties.
Snacking and ‘take home fresh’ categories are a key focus in the SPAR store, alongside a re-energised range of beers, wines and spirits, and the six-figure investment into store improvements is already delivering on its performance at the till.
Sales are up by almost a third on its first full week of trading from the previous year and are 25% higher than anticipated sales.
The store development celebrations are the latest milestone in a continuous success story after SPAR, in association with James Hall & Co. Ltd, first began to service the store at Hull University in January 2016.
Dominic Hall, Deputy Managing Director of James Hall & Co. Ltd, joined the opening party and cut the ribbon alongside staff at the university campus store.
Andy King, Commercial Services Director at Hull University Students’ Union, said: “The improvements are nothing short of phenomenal. The store looks fantastic and we’re enjoying record sales, so it has been an amazing result.
“We’ve altered the store layout from having an entrance door and an exit door to having a single point of entry which has worked well. The food-to-go and bakery products now supplied by James Hall are a massive improvement.
“Overall, with 2,500 students living on campus, the SPAR store is an excellent choice where you can pick up your essential convenience goods or do a full shop – it now has it all.”
Source: SPAR UK
The UK became a SPAR member in 1956 when SPAR International granted the SPAR licence to a group of independent wholesalers. As a result, 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 continue 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.
