Spar Croatia

Established in 2004 by Adriaan Van Well, Spar Croatia is a chain of food retail stores dispersed across various regions in the country. Its headquarters is based in Zagreb, Croatia. The company is a subsidiary of the worldwide Spar organisation based in the Netherlands. 

Presently, the business operates 102 spar and 23 Interspar outlets across the country. In 2016, SPAR bought 62 Billa stores.

In the financial year 2021, Spar Croatia achieved a turnover of € 792 million and currently employs 4,667 people. Additionally, exportation of Croatian products to the foreign markets is done via the Spar sales network. As a result, the retailer has reported an increase by 3% in the first six months of 2021, to € 49 million as compared to the previous year.  

It is noteworthy that the Croatian trade journal “Ja TRGOVAC” ranked Spar Croatia top in a survey of 45 companies, making it Retailer of the Year in 2019. 

Furthermore, the company provides a variety of products in the following categories:

• Savoury Grocery: canned food, pastas, rice, etc.
• Sweet Grocery: tea, cereals, chocolate, etc.
• Wine & spirits: wine, spirits, beer, etc.
• Drinks: juices, water, soft drinks, etc. 
• Dairy: cheese, milk, yoghurt, etc.
• Chilled & Fresh Food: fruits, meat, fish, etc.
• Frozen Food: meat, fish, ice-cream, etc.
• Household: air fresheners, detergents, disinfectants, etc.
• Personal care: body lotions, lipstick,shaving cream, etc. 

Brands such as Colgate, Milka, Nestle, President, Toffifee, Violeta, Jar and many others are endorsed by the firm. Spar Croatia also caters for consumers with specific food needs by providing vegan, vegetarian, organic, lactose-free, sugar-free, gluten-free and many other dietary products. 

Moreover, the retailer developed its own brands under the following names (non-exhaustive list):

• Despar: A brand of Italian products such as pasta, coffee, cheese, etc. 
• Spar Premium: A brand of premium products such as juice, spreads, pasta, etc. 
• Spar free from: A brand of products such as vegan chocolate, butter, milk spread, etc. 
• Spar Vital: A brand of mineral and vitamins products. 
• The Garden of Croatia: A cooperation between 40 local producers to promote the Croatian agriculture

In addition, Spar Croatia maintains the highest quality standards as its vegetarian product line has a European Vegetarian Union Certificate. 

Pertaining to its logistics solutions, the company partnered with Ralu Logistics to handle its distribution, warehousing and manipulation of its products. It's newly official that a new distribution center will be built as from October 2022, with a storage capacity of 100,000 pallets.

It is noteworthy that the firm sold 1 million bioplastic bags in Croatia in 2019 hence fighting against plastic and protecting the environment. 

In May 2022, the company expanded its store network by opening 2 new stores and a donation of € 2,650 was made to the voluntary fire brigade in Donja Stubica. 

Concerning sustainability, Spar Croatia reduces its impact on the environment by offering high-quality paper bags, biodegradable bags and mesh bags in its stores. Moreover, the business supports local producers as 77% of the Spar Croatia’s food range is locally sourced. Some of its local suppliers include Martinjak for fresh red meat, Safran winery, Euro-milk for dairy products, ZMH Horvat for frozen meat, etc.