SPAR has been a strong supporter of the Swiss Handball Association for over ten years. At this year’s general meeting of the Swiss Handball Association (SHV), SPAR Switzerland COO Gary Alberts presented SHV President Ulrich Rubeli with a cheque worth 42,000 Swiss francs. This amount was raised using the SPAR Handball App, which allows customers to donate a percentage of their grocery purchase sum to a sponsorship fund when shopping in SPAR stores.

‘With SPAR to star’ was the motto ten years ago when SPAR Switzerland first became the title sponsor of a small national handball festival. Over the years, this has grown into a strong partnership with the Swiss Handball Association that promotes the next generation of players.

Since 2012, SPAR’s national handball commitment also includes the support of the SPAR Premium League (SPL), the premier women’s handball league in Switzerland.

Launched in 2016, the SPAR Handball App can be downloaded for free for iOS and Android smartphones. Users can select their favourite clubs out of 215 licensed junior handball clubs. This simple system allows customers to follow their favourite clubs and game results. Using the app, customers can have 2.5% or 1% of their total instore purchase sum credited to their preferred club as a sponsorship amount. The app is extremely user-friendly, with customers only needing to show the app’s barcode at the checkout.

Supporting local communities is inherent to the SPAR way of operating – the Swiss handball club programme is a great example of how successful this approach of community and retail benefits people from all walks of life.

Source: SPAR Switzerland

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About SPAR Switzerland

SPAR Switzerland has undergone several changes since being founded in 1989. In 2000, the family-owned business was transformed into a holding company with three operating companies: SPAR Handels AG, TopCC AG and SPAR Management AG. The business grew further, combining corporate and independently owned stores, spanning forecourt retailing to large supermarkets.

In early 2016, SPAR Switzerland announced the sale of 60% of shares to SPAR South Africa. The existing management team and shareholders remain involved in the business.