Spar International said its multi-format retail strategy helped boost sales in 2011.
In the 12 months to the end of December, sales rose 4.6% to EUR31.1bn (US$), pushing up its cumulative three year retail sales by 16%, the retailer said.
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Spar’s global retail sales grew by EUR1.36bn in 2011, while Spar South Africa put in a “very strong” performance, the retailer said, with sales growth of 8%.
Across Europe, sales in Italy grew 6.2%, in Austria 4.5% and in Belgium 3.9%. In Spain, sales climbed 3%, driven by a mixture of strategies including new store openings, and a programme of store upgrades and improving store standards.
In Spar’s newer countries, China saw sales soared 70% to EUR701m, while in Russia, sales amounted to EUR935m, a 22% increase on last year.
Gordon Campbell, managing director of Spar International said: “Consumers are making less shopping trips and prefer to shop nearer to home, and we have met this trend with moves into convenience retailing in city centre and petrol forecourt stores in a number of Spar countries.
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By GlobalData“We are responding to consumer needs with our multi-format retail strategy, which meets all shopping missions from full weekly shopping for the family to stock up, to daily fresh products to express shopping for convenience items and food to go.”
Spar did not disclose profit figures and officials could not be reached for comment.
