Social Responsibility

Social responsibility is at the heart of everything we do.

At SPAR we are proud to be part of the local communities in which we live and work. That’s why social responsibility is so important to everything that we do.

We join forces with our international Corporate Social Responsibility group and collectively around the UK. Together, we’ve devised a clear CSR strategy based on three key areas:

Communities
Health & Wellbeing
Sustainability

Communities

Your local community is at the heart of everything we do. From stocking the products they need, to providing helpful services and supporting charitable causes. And of course, ensuring the highest possible standards of health and safety when shopping in-store. We care about our customers ensuring that social distancing is easily implemented and we make defibrillators available to stores too.

Through our retailer marketing support we provide community-driven campaigns and clear communications to drive that sense of togetherness in your store. We can help you to connect with your communities digitally too.

SPAR UK is celebrating a major milestone in its ongoing partnership with Marie Curie, having raised an incredible £4 million since 2017.

Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end of life charity, providing expert care and support for people with any terminal illness and their loved ones. Through a combination of national campaigns, regional fundraising, and supplier collaborations, SPAR has made a significant impact on the charity’s ability to deliver essential end of life care in communities across the UK.

Since the partnership began, SPAR stores, colleagues, and Regional Distribution Centres (RDCs) have continuously organised fundraising efforts in support of Marie Curie. Initiatives have included:

SPAR own label fundraising – Over £206,000 raised through sales of fresh daffodils and linked CRM campaigns on SPAR Brand products during the Great Daffodil Appeal.
Limited Edition SPAR Brand products – Over £69,000 raised through sales of SPAR Brand sandwiches featuring Marie Curie Nurses.
Event fundraising – SPAR UK has incorporated fundraising into key events, such as their annual golf day and conferences in Gran Canaria and South Africa, with £153,000 raised to date.

SPAR’s commitment to Marie Curie continues to ensure more people receive the care and support they deserve at the end of life.

Health & Wellbeing

We have a fantastic range of fresh, nutritionally balanced own brand products:

Over the last few years we have removed 168 tonnes of sugar from our soft drinks range and 2 tonnes of salt from crisps and snacks
75% of our sandwich range is below 400 calories
90% of our ready meal range is below 600 calories

We support national, regional and local sports activity including British Athletics, Scottish Women’s Football, Disability Sports Wales, Lancashire School Sports, Somerset Cricket Club, Belfast Marathon, Omagh Half Marathon and the Belfast Giants ice hockey team. We also support local communities by providing over 1,000 sports day kits for stores to allocate to their local school.

Sustainability

We know that protecting the planet for the future is important to our customers and retailers. We are committed to reducing the amount of plastic we use and ensuring packaging is recyclable wherever possible.

So far, we have:

Increased recycled plastic content in packaging – removed over 283 tonnes of virgin plastic from 53 products
Prevented over 113 tonnes of black plastic going to landfill
Put recycling information on SPAR Own Brand products

We’ll help you reduce food waste by signing up to food waste apps such as Gander and Too Good To Go or working closely with local food banks. Find out more here.