SPAR UK partner Appleby Westward has unveiled a flagship company-owned convenience store for the region after a major redevelopment project. The 279m² SPAR store in Bridport, Dorset, a former Woolworth’s store in the town’s busy East Street, has been redeveloped throughout in a £265,000 capital investment programme. 

The store is one of 90 company-owned SPAR shops run by Appleby Westward and has been transformed from front to back as part of a major modernisation.

Innovations include a food-to-go hub and workstations at the front of the store where customers can sit, eat, relax, phone, and drink coffee. There are a phone charging point, a new vape stand, and a wide selection of free-from products. 

Convenience at hand
The store’s Subway franchise has been repositioned and, although separate, gives the impression of it being part of one big SPAR shop. 

Other new features for customers include F’real Shakes, Skwishee Slush machine, Chicago Town Pizzas, Rollover Hot Dogs, Cook Frozen Meals, and Costa Coffee. A wide range of fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh flowers, and dispensed milk in recyclable bottles from Trewithen Dairy in Cornwall are also available. 

Self-service tills are also a new feature in the store, which offers a comprehensive selection of beers wines and spirits with local and premium wines, ciders, and a new gin station. A broad range of frozen foods and chilled products are available, and promotions are prominent throughout the store, with Meal Deals available on food-to-go products.

Steve Goswell, Store Director for Appleby Westward’s company-owned stores, said: “The customer reaction has been fantastic, and our store manager Tim Muhl and his team love the new look, which has transformed our customer offer throughout. It’s very impressive visually with a striking and creative use of graphics in what is the flagship model in our store portfolio.”

SPAR UK plans to use the Bridport store as a model on which its independent retailers can base their own future store developments.

Source: SPAR UK

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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.