Annual show welcomes over 800 delegates to Aviemore
LEADING symbol group Spar Scotland welcomed over 800 delegates to its annual Spar Tradeshow event in Aviemore, marking another sell-out year for the fascia.
More than 210 suppliers were in attendance to offer Scottish retailers an insight into the latest NPD offer as well as an exclusive opportunity to connect store owners directly with brand representatives.
The show took place on 25 September at the Macdonald Aviemore Resort under the banner of this year’s theme ‘Inspiring Success’, helping the record number of attendees discover new ideas and opportunities to support trade for the final months of the year.
Key talks took place across the day, including from members of the CJ Lang & Son team – the wholesaler behind Spar Scotland – as well as from suppliers to help kickstart a range of conversations across different in-store categories.
Delegates were also treated to the trade show’s Gala Dinner and awards ceremony. Complete with a three course meal and live entertainment, delegates were able to keep the party going into the small hours of the morning and mark yet another successful event for the symbol group.
And the best of the best in the Spar estate were commended for their hard graft over the last 12 months – highlighting those stores and retailers who have gone the extra mile for their local areas and excelled in specific categories across the store.
Award winners on the evening included both Company-Owned and Independent Spar stores. The categories and winners included:
Vaping Store of the Year
Independent Store – Spar Gourock
Company-owned Store – Spar Denny
Spar Brand Store of the Year
Independent Store – Spar Penny Great Glen
Company-owned Store – Spar Arisaig
Lunch Meal Deal Store of the Year
Independent Store – Spar Penny Great Glen
Company-owned Store – Spar Market Crosshouse
Barista Bar of the Year
Independent Store – Spar Market Pinkie Farm
Company-owned Store – Spar Denny
Community Store of the Year
Independent Store – A&J’s Alloa Road Spar
Company-owned Store – Spar Galashiels
Independent Store of the Year
Spar Lochcarron
Company-owned Store of the Year
Spar Garthamlock
Speaking during the event, Colin McLean, chief executive at CJ Lang & Son, said: “Once again, we have stepped it up to another level. We have close to 900 people in attendance here in Aviemore, with a further 210 suppliers.
“Everyone has been very positive about the show and we know we have a strong business moving forward here. The market does remain tough, I definitely wouldn’t say anyone is enjoying these challenges, but we’re here to show that we can make a difference for retailers across Scotland.
“We’re remaining ahead of the game and investing more into how we can help our retailers, such as with our investments into AI technology. And that’s the nature of retail today, we need to remain ahead of the game, otherwise we would risk being left behind.”
