James Hall & Co., SPAR wholesaler for the north of England, has reached a new milestone with the opening of its 145th company-owned SPAR store, SPAR Lancaster University. Located right at the heart of Lancaster University’s campus, the new store delivers an essential service for students living and studying on campus.

Julie McAulay, Company Owned Stores Director at James Hall & Co., said, “We have invested in a full store refurbishment to offer students the very best in convenience shopping, from a varied range of fresh products, delicious food-to-go and homeware essentials.”

“The store now boasts a large deli, offering hot and cold lines to suit all taste buds with jacket potatoes, salad boxes, sandwiches, pizza and pasta, and mouth-watering curries from our company-owned ethnic food brand, Fazilas”, she added.

“For students cooking at home, we now offer a delicious thaw and serve selection, and an extensive range of fresh produce, meat, dairy products, fruit and vegetables.”

“The new store now caters for healthy snacks, vegan and gluten-free diets and offers a large international foods section to help overseas students feel at home”, Julie McAulay said.

“Treats instore include milkshakes, donuts and slushies, a good selection of beers, wines and spirits, and we’ve even included a selection of health and beauty, electrical and homeware essentials.”

James Hall & Co. has also been working with Lancaster University to offer self-isolation bags for international students required to quarantine after entering the UK.

Over 1,000 bags have been prepared, including staple student foods such as tea, rice, pasta, toilet roll, orange juice, UHT milk, cereal, noodles and tinned goods.

Julie added, “We are really excited for students to enjoy this brand new store, and alongside the appropriate safety and social distancing measures, we look forward to ensuring they have all they need to shop safely and smartly whilst on campus.”

The site was previously an independently owned SPAR site since 1995 and has been refurbished by James Hall & Co.’s company-owned store division, G&E Murgatroyd.

For more on convenience retailing in the SPAR network, see our Contact International feature.

Source: SPAR UK

Read more SPAR UK news.

About SPAR UK

The UK became a member of SPAR in 1956 when a group of independent wholesalers was granted the SPAR licence by SPAR International. There are five regional partners in the UK with strategically placed Distribution Centres in each region. A central office, located in London, provides national marketing and buying services for the group and supports the development of the brand

SPAR has led the convenience market in the UK for many years but has faced increasing competition. Always innovative, the five regional partners have continued to grow the brand. Throughout the UK, a combination of independently-owned licensed retailers and company-owned stores can be found, spanning forecourts, airports, train stations, city centres, and local neighbourhoods.