SPAR is always around. Behind the logo of the green fir is a large number of shop formulas that seem to fit every neighbourhood. There’s a SPAR corner shop, city shop, an express for filling stations, university at campuses and enjoy, a shop formula for holiday parks. Right now they’re dedicating a lot to implementing the express format. Late 2017, they started rolling out SPAR express shops at Texaco and Esso filling stations in cooperation with EG Group. This concerned nine shops at the time. Early in 2019, the counter is at 100, and more than 70 filling stations along motorways, secondary roads and in or near cities and villages will be added to that in the coming period. The number of SPAR shops in the Netherlands is growing considerably, because you can also do your daily shopping for the next 8 to 10 hours in the express shops, and they now have 350 shops (for comparison: AH has 950, Jumbo has 584).
The 100th SPAR Express in Ede also has a catering concept SPAR Local. Xandra Eikemans: “It’s a pleasant sitting accommodation where customers can consume their purchases. The aim of SPAR Local is to create a place where customers feel at home or where they can take a breather. Besides, SPAR Local also functions as a workspace when you’re on the road and as a personal or business meeting place.”
Smeding is the service organisation that takes care of the fresh produce assortment. SPAR recently introduced the Mijn Boer brand (My Farmer in English) in the shop. “The assortment vision between SPAR and the Mijn Boer brand is a good match. SPAR integrated the assortment vision Basis & Streek (Basis & Region in English). That means that the products come from the Netherlands when possible. Nearby or regional, always with a good story. The assortment’s products have to qualitatively be in proportion to a good price. The Mijn Boer brand has as its payoff ‘The flavour of the season,’ and it stands for special seasonal products, which make every season surprisingly flavourful. Products are grown sustainably and with passion by unique growers with a story. Mijn Boer products always come from Dutch soil and inspire consumers to eat ‘sustainably,’” Xandra says. “Special seasonal products from Dutch soil. This allows SPAR customers to cook and serve food that makes you feel good, because the products of Mijn Boer are grown sustainably. They’re produced and sold in the Netherlands. This regional choice was made very consciously, because it’s good for the local economy, it saves in transport, and that allows us to harvest just a bit later, so that the food is just a bit riper. All of this is to the benefit of flavour.”
So while formulas respond to location, Mijn Boer and SPAR respond to food trends: Taste the seasons; local and regional; versatility - diversity of flavour and shape; pioneering - looking for new varieties; unadulterated nature - don’t exhaust the soil; transparency in the supply chain - the actual story, but also Internet - Instagrammable food and health & sustainability.
Mijn Boer is partially an expansion of the regular assortment, and it partly replaces current products. “It depends on the product group. SPAR strives for at least one special product of Dutch soil in every product group, connecting to the SPAR customer. This means a large product group, such as apples, has multiple products, including a very nice Mijn Boer seasonal apple like Cox’s orange of Djuke van der Maat. But only one version is carried in, for instance, parsnips. As an actual seasonal vegetable, sometimes called an heirloom vegetable, this product is a Mijn Boer product from grower Jan van Geffen from Lelystad.”
Early in 2018, Mijn Boer was positioned in shops and in SPAR’s online shop. “The products can be recognised by their Mijn Boer logo, and is supported with POS material on shop floors, in the online shop and on social media. In short, we have a 360-degree approach in action regarding communication towards consumers.”
Is it known whether it appeals to consumers? Does it inspire consumers, and do they actually start eating more seasonal products? “Mijn Boer connects to consumers’ demand for local products, sustainability and seasonal. So far, responses have been positive. However, it’s not yet known whether more seasonal vegetables are being eaten. No specific assessments have been conducted into this yet.”
x.eikemans@deSPAR.nl