The Dutch multinational franchise, which was founded by Adriaan van Well in 1932, now has more than 13,900 stores across 48 counties and serves 14.7 million customers every day
SPAR has been a staple for shoppers for over nine decades, yet many are only just discovering what the name actually stands for.
The Dutch multinational franchise was established by Adriaan van Well in 1932 and now boasts more than 13,900 stores across 48 countries, serving 14.7 million customers daily.
Its first branded shop opened doors in the Netherlands under the moniker DESPAR, stylised as DE SPAR, an acronym created by van Well to serve as a slogan for his shops.
While it’s simply known as SPAR in the UK today, the brand continues to use the original name in certain parts of the globe, leading one puzzled traveller to question on Quora: “Why are SPAR supermarkets called DESPAR in Italy?”
According to a statement on SPAR’s website: “It was initially launched as DESPAR, an acronym of a slogan created by van Well to describe the organisation: Door Eendrachtig Samenwerken Profiteren Allen Regelmatig, which translates into English as All Benefit from Joint Co-operation Regularly.”
They go on to say: “A simple yet powerful philosophy inspired van Well – independent wholesalers and retailers can achieve more by working together than working alone. Over time, the SPAR Brand has extended its presence, serving the needs of local communities across four continents to become the world’s local food store of choice.”
The company opted to shorten its brand name in the 1940s, prior to its European expansion. The UK welcomed its first SPAR store in the 1950s. A statement explains: “SPAR International was established in 1953 to support and develop the SPAR brand and voluntary food retail network growth globally.
“Mr Van Well was the first President of the International SPAR Board, and he set up SPAR International with an office and management team in Amsterdam. The United Kingdom became a member of the organisation in 1956 when SPAR International granted the SPAR licence to a group of independent wholesalers.”
They added: “SPAR UK comprises independently owned licensed retailers and company-owned stores. These include forecourts, airports, train stations, city centres, and local neighbourhood stores. “
So, why did they change the name? A Quora user noted: “When the company was founded in the Netherlands it was originally called Despar.
“Later when they expanded across Europe some countries shortened the name to Spar but Italy retained the original name. To English speakers Despar looks too close to “despair” but to Italian speakers, it doesn’t have this problem.”
