Rapidly changing conditions in the retail market require flexibility in day-to-day operations. SPAR Switzerland has successfully enhanced its performance in this challenging environment by making organisational adjustments, investing in logistics, and altering its procurement processes.

“This year, in addition to focusing on and implementing our strategic goals, one thing we targeted was improving margins through efficiency gains”, said SPAR Switzerland’s CEO Gary Alberts. This approach required prioritising long-term goals over short-term sales growth, a strategy that led to slightly higher profits despite a small decline in turnover. “Sales are important, but not at any price”, continued Gary Alberts, “because ultimately it’s the margins that allow us to invest in new formats, product development, and employees.”

Cost management played a critical role, enabling SPAR Switzerland to keep prices stable and competitive despite fluctuating procurement costs. This price stability is essential for consumers making daily purchases. Equally important is investing in people and over 700 employees and 400 trainees attended the SPAR Switzerland Academy last year for training and development.

New products and offers

SPAR Switzerland tailors its product range to demographics and consumer trends, particularly the growing demand for convenience. Its ‘Fresh To Go’ line offers ready-to-cook meals that have become highly popular. Organic options and SPAR own brand products, including SPAR and SPAR No1 value, continue to thrive. They now contribute nearly a quarter of total sales by offering top quality at competitive prices.

SPAR Switzerland supports e-commerce through partnering with external delivery services, available in various cities. Customers can order online and enjoy home delivery without SPAR Switzerland operating its own delivery infrastructure. This has been well received and continues to grow.

Fresh from the neighbourhood

SPAR Switzerland is emphasising its role as the fresh neighbourhood market with the tagline ‘Fresh from the Neighbourhood’. Increasingly important are the many local suppliers who give every SPAR store a distinctive local touch. “We want to be truly local,” Gary Alberts explained, “ and that includes offering products produced right in our customers’ neighbourhoods.”

Entrepreneurial SPAR retailers

For Gary Alberts, SPAR Switzerland’s special structure is an important success factor: “We are not a top-down operation and are in constant dialogue with our independent retailers, who like us, have an entrepreneurial view of things. Thanks to them, we have a ‘live connection’ to the Swiss market, and our agile and dynamic organisation enables us to respond very quickly and specifically to the needs of the markets and their customers. Like good neighbours who always look out for each other.”

Source: SPAR Switzerland

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About SPAR Switzerland

SPAR Switzerland was founded in 1989. The business grew, combining corporate and independently owned stores, spanning forecourt retailing to large supermarkets. Since 2016, SPAR Switzerland has been a subsidiary of SPAR Group Ltd Southern Africa.