"The Payroll department not only deal with the on-going payroll processing of the Appleby Westward staff," (says Jo Hounsell, Appleby Westward's HR Director) they also work with a large number of our retailers who outsource their payroll to Appleby Westward'.
"Door Eendrachtig Samenwerken Profiteren Allen Regelmatig" (DESPAR)
Which literally means: "All benefit from Joint Co-operation"
In 1932 the late Adrian Van Well founded DESPAR (shortened in the late 40's to SPAR) in Holland. The concept grew when, in 1947 other countries (Belgium first) followed the Dutch example to become the International Brand it is today.
The word 'Spar' in dutch means 'fir' and right from the start the fir tree was used as the symbol to identify the organisation. The word 'Spaar' in dutch means 'Savings'.
In 2009, SPAR worldwide had retail sales of €28 billion from 12,169 outlets in 33 countries across 5 continents (Source: SPAR International)
SPAR sells £35 billion worth of products per annum
Over 180,000 people work for SPAR worldwide
We are also the UK’s leading convenience store group, with a turnover in excess of £2.7billion.
SPAR has long dominated symbol group and convenience retailing in the UK. SPAR capitalises on its size, heritage and professionalism to ensure its continued leadership role in neighbourhood shopping.
The partnership between independent retailer, distribution centre and central office is the key element to the success of the organisation. There are at present over 2,800 stores affililated to SPAR, which are served by 6 Regional Distribution Companies (Appleby Westward Group Ltd in the South West UK).
The partnership focuses on the needs of the consumer. Technological advances, particularly in fast, accurate, national scanning data mean that SPAR retailers have the confidence to stock and display only proven sellers. Increased use of national buying power means profitable sales. Regional market analysis means a variety of store formats, which are right for individual retailers and their consumers.
This unique structure has enabled SPAR to distinguish itself from other major competitors in the symbol group trade.
Article updated March 2011
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