Cookies Settings Retailer Login Contact us FIND YOUR NEAREST SPAR HOME ABOUT US CAREERS GREAT OFFERS SPONSORSHIPS FOOD IDEAS MY SPAR REWARDS SPAR is the leading convenience store in Ireland, bringing consumers the most innovative award winning in-store offering and shopping experience for over 55 years. From the time it opened its first store in Dublin in 1963, SPAR has had convenience at its core, constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of the modern Irish customer, offering great appropriate time of day fresh foods, healthy options through the SPAR Better Choices range and an expansive range of key grocery items. Shoppers can be assured of price and value though our Shopper Essentials range and SPAR own brand products which offer as good as the best for less. The group, which is part of leading wholesale and retail company BWG Foods UC, has a presence in every county and community across Ireland, with SPAR stores providing employment for 14,000 people locally. SPAR’s Origins Founded in The Netherlands in 1932, SPAR is the world’s largest grocery chain. Although there is much speculation as to the meaning of the word SPAR with some mistakenly thinking it is derived from the Dutch word for ‘to save’ Besparen, SPAR is in fact an acronym of a Dutch sentence that explains where modern day ‘SPAR’ finds its foundations. Back in 1932 Van Well called his new retail concept ‘De SPAR’, which is derived from the following Dutch phrase: ‘Door Eendrachtig Samenwerken Profiteren Allen Regelmatig’ When directly translated means, ‘We all benefit from joint cooperation’, which remains true to this day in each SPAR country and in the network as a whole. To symbolize the strength of this organization, Adriaan Van Well used the fir tree as part of the ‘De SPAR’ logo and although the organization’s name has shortened to SPAR and the SPAR tree has somewhat developed into more of a contemporary fir tree the fundamentals still remain to make it an instantly recognizable brand worldwide. The fast growth of the company continued over the years to follow with stores opening in South Africa, Japan, Eastern Europe, Argentina, Australia, China and most recently in Nigeria which is true sign of the significant growth in SPAR. Under the Tree at SPAR When ‘SPAR’ is mentioned in the public arena, people more often than not are compelled to rhyme off the well known slogan ‘under the tree at SPAR’. SPAR Ireland had the slogan ‘Always there for you’ for a number of years but because of popular demand SPAR Ireland has brought back ‘Under the tree’ at SPAR. This slogan embodies what SPAR stands for…. all you need, when you need it, under the tree at SPAR. SPAR Own Brand HOME ABOUT US About SPAR SPAR Own Brand Join Us Awards Becoming A SPAR Retailer COMMUNITY Local Community News Charity Partner Supporting Irish Producers GREAT OFFERS SPONSORSHIPS Kitchen Hero Athletics FOOD IDEAS Get Inspired FIND YOUR NEAREST SPAR Privacy Statement Cookie Policy Retailer Login Contact Us By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Policy Cookies Settings Reject All Accept All Cookies