Spar has entered the Nigerian market with its first Spar supermarket in Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria.
Nigeria’s first and flagship Spar supermarket is located in a newly constructed shopping centre in the eastern side of the city, the rapidly emerging Lekki-Ajah district of Lagos.
The 30,000sq ft store is accessible to shoppers and will attract customers with “moderate to high-income profiles”.
“This Spar supermarket is a new departure for food retailing in Nigeria,” said local Spar partner, the Artee Group’s CEO, Haresh Kiswani, following the official opening of the store.
“There has been a tremendous response from consumers, from the trade, from Government officials and, indeed, from the whole community in Lagos. It raises the bar for food retailing in Nigeria and brings the highest standards of freshness, quality and value available in our country,” said Kiswani.
Spar International worked closely with the Artee Group to develop this store from a greenfield site. The group also operates ‘Park n’ Shop’ Shopping Centres and supermarkets in Lagos and other cities in Nigeria.
The Artee Group has acquired six further locations for Spar supermarkets and plan to open at least four before the end of 2010.
The group also plans to begin the conversion of Park n’ Shop supermarkets to the Spar brand. The Park n’ Shop brand, which was established in Nigeria in 1988 will be retained for shopping centres.
“Nigeria offers an exciting opportunity for Spar,” said Dr. Gordon Campbell, Managing Director, Spar International.
“This is the right time for Spar to enter Nigeria. It has the largest population in Africa and the economy is growing fast, resulting in much better living standards. We have a good partner in the Artee Group who will open Spar stores not only in Lagos but also in Abuja, Port Harcourt and other major population centers over the next three years,” he said.
“Spar International will also support the Artee Group in developing a modern supply chain. The policy of Spar is to source produce locally. This ensures freshness and quality and good value prices for our customers while at the same time supporting local farmers and producers,” concluded Campbell.
Source: Spar International
