About Spar UK
In 1957, five wholesalers applied to SPAR international in Amsterdam for the franchise to run SPAR in the UK. The five wholesalers where: Charles Green (Wright & Green Ltd). Kendrick Edwards (Morgan Edwards Ltd). Bernard Elkins (H . Reeves & Co. Ltd). John Capper (Capper & Co. Ltd). Gordon Alton (Burton Allton Ltd).
On September 25th 1957 SPAR was launched in Portsmouth by H Reeves and Co Limted with support from central office, which had an entire staff of two people. 70 retailers agreed to display an illuminated sign in their windows. These where the first retailers in the U.K to to operate under a common sign instead of their own names; the first to pay into a common advertising fund, the first to pledge maximum trade to their wholesaler and accept a weekly delivery so cutting wholesaler costs in order to lower the price of goods.
Every day other retailers made ridiculously low counter offers. However, these 70 retailers did not falter and at the end of 6 months , the second SPAR guild was launched. Despite the enormous pressure from suppliers in the rest of the trade, by September 1959, seventeen guilds were operating, National advertising was possible, and the SPAR brand (SPAR selected foods were launched in 1958) were on sale.
Link to SPAR UK website
Interactive Flash Site
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