Hitting two birds with one store
CJ Lang has opened its first new company store since 2017 – and the first store under its new Spar Market format.
Spar Dalbeattie has opened its doors on the site of the Dumfriesshire town’s former Kinnaird’s Nisa Local store.
Local residents were invited to an in-store launch event on 22 April, which offered a first glimpse of the new format in Scotland.
Spar Market is a larger convenience store format with a greater focus on fresh produce. CJ Lang said the store represents a ‘step change’ in fresh, with an emphasis on ‘making a meal’ and ‘grab and eat’ shopper missions.
The store houses a large deli counter, CJ’s Food to Go counter, Costa Express, Tango Ice Blast, and Calippo slush machine. It also offers home delivery through Snappy Shopper.
Brian Straiton, operations director for company-owned stores at CJ Lang & Sons, said the Spar Scotland wholesaler was “very excited” to be back in the acquisition market.
Straiton said CJ Lang’s business strategy is to add an additional three to four stores to the company-owned estate each year.
He said: “Spar Market is an exciting new fresh, chilled and produce store format for CJ Lang and Spar Scotland that will really help to differentiate and grow from our traditional Spar customer offer.”
