SPAR is a co-operative retail brand that started in the Netherlands ( it is still headquartered in Amsterdam) in 1932. It now has approximately 12,500 stores in 34 countries worldwide and is the world’s largest independent voluntary retail trading chain. The name is a play on the acronym: Door Eendrachtig Samenwerken Profiteren Allen Regelmatig (literally: “through united co-operation everyone regularly profits”). Spaar or spar means “save (money)” in Afrikaans, Dutch, Danish, German, Swedish and Norwegian. “De Spar” is Dutch for “The Fir”, hence Spar’s logo, which was last updated in 1968. (citation: Wikipedia)
Their logo may be old, but their approach to social media is up-to-date. The See the World with SPAR campaign has a dedicated website, a hashtag #sparworldtrip, is being curated on Facebook and comes with its own video…
The campaign will initially be open to participants from six SPAR countries – South Africa, Slovenia, Norway, Italy, UK and Ireland, where one from each country will be invited to report about SPAR’s presence in different cultures and communities via social media.
Applicants, aged 18-35, have to submit a video illustrating why they are the ideal reporter. The applicants achieving the highest scores from their activity on social media networks will enter into the final pool of potential winners. Each country will then run an assessment session reviewing the videos and select two candidates to go to Amsterdam for the final stages. Winners will then be announced. The video application stage will run until 18th May.
However, before pulling out their video cameras, aspirants might want to consider SPAR’s objectives, which appear to be focused on recruitment rather than brand marketing.
Take SPAR International Marketing Director, Tobias Wasmuht’s statement:
SPAR is such a unique and exciting organisation providing an opportunity to meet all the people who play a role in the development of the brand. This includes independent retailers, the distribution partners, local growers and of course also our suppliers.
The competition particularly suits graduates in the current job market, and would mark an amazing, unique start to their career.
The cooperation of six SPAR countries makes it possible to offer such a great opportunity. Present in 35 countries, SPAR offers incredible conditions for this campaign. Finalists will get an opportunity to blog about their experiences from diverse parts of the world for example from the West Coast of Ireland to John O’Groats to Lands End in the UK, from the Arctic Circle of Northern Norway, to the townships of South Africa, from Ljubljana Castle in Slovenia to the Gold Coast of Australia!
A host of exciting assignments await the contestants, each designed to give them the opportunity to present their reporting abilities and to be part of the SPAR community.
We are delighted to be able to launch our first truly international social media campaign and bring this opportunity to roving reporters from around the world.
The campaign will be run both in store and digitally, with Facebook as the main driver of the online activity.
Image: Cowfish
About 15 years ago, I saw a Spar shop in Swaziland. It felt a bit surreal. Still have a glass of Peri Peri spice I bought there.
Spar is an excellent chain. There’s a little Spar by the Old Harbor in Rotterdam where the croissants are better than at quite a few bakeries in Paris.
If I were a job-hunting blogger between the ages of 18 and 35 with an interest in supermarket social networking, I’d put Spar at the top of my “supermarkets I’d be happy to blog about” list.
We happily grabbed a couple of bottles of decent red wine for under three Euros at a Spar in the Canary Islands just last week. Never heard of them before; we’ll not forget them now.