Spar Group plans further boost for its Southern African operations

It sold its Spar Poland business in January this year and is now hoping to find buyers for its Swiss and UK operations. The group also trades in Ireland, but has not made any announcements regarding its Irish business. 

“A shift in Swiss consumer behaviour, including rising prices and increased cross-border shopping, has impacted Spar’s market share,” reports the UK-based publication Grocery Gazette. 

“In parallel, the group is said to also be exclusive talks to sell its UK business, Appleby Westward Group (AWG), to an unnamed, UK-based buyer with strong regional experience in the South West. AWG, which services Spar stores in South West England, contributes £250-million (US$339-million) to the group’s turnover.” 

Enhance retail segments and leverage partnerships 

Meanwhile, the group’s financial results for the six months ended 28 March 2025, which were released this week, show plans to grow in Southern Africa by enhancing its retail segments, leveraging partnerships with food delivery service Uber Eats and coffee shop franchise Vida e Caffè, and increasing private label product penetration. 

It is also continuing to roll out Spar2U and Build It 2U, on-demand online retail platforms that support home delivery of Spar’s groceries and other items, and Built It’s building materials and hardware. Build It is a division of Spar Group and has around 400 outlets. 

More recently, the company launched Spar Health to promote pharmacy, health and lifestyle solutions to customers. According to the newly released financial results, the aim is to double the pharmacy network by 2028. 

A report by news agency Reuters says the group “is looking to broaden its produce range, expand its on-demand delivery service and sell more own-brand goods after first-half results showed flat revenue and a small decline in earnings”.