Dutch-based food retailer Spar International said it has opened 10 new Spar stores in Albania in the first half of this year, reaching a total of 50 stores in the country.
In addition to increasing its presence in the capital Tirana, this year SPAR Albania has opened new stores in eight other towns and cities, from Shkodra in the north to Korça in the southeast, the company said in a press release on Thursday.
Spar International entered the Albanian market in October 2016. Since the beginning the conversion of company-owned stores has continued and new partnerships have been established with independent retailers to expand the brand’s reach, Spar said.
The licence for Spar in Albania was granted in mid-2016 to Almark, a private company owned by the Balfin Group, one of the largest private investment companies in the country.
Spar said in July it has opened the first three Spar stores in Kosovo, in the capital Pristina, with 32 more to follow in the next five years. Kosovo is the 27th market in Europe in which the brand is present.
