Spar’s food service offering is gaining momentum with the success of its Daily Deli brand and the rollout of a partnership with Irish coffee brand Insomnia.

Speaking at Blakemore Trade Partners’ Spar Retail Show last week, sales director Neil Mercer said stores offering Daily Deli had enjoyed average sales growth of 9%, with food-to-go growth up 37%. At least 10 company-owned and independent Spar stores now offer a Daily Deli service.

Elsewhere, Spar retailers are piloting a new partnership with Irish coffee brand Insomnia, which will be trialled at stores in Cardiff and Market Harborough, Leicestershire.

Tony Cristoforo is planning to designate 40% of his central Cardiff store to an Insomnia offering early next year. “It’s a modern and quirky brand which I think will appeal to young people,” he said.

Spar also announced a new marketing club to provide tailored support for retailers.

Head of marketing Sarah Ellis said: “All of our stores can receive a free marketing audit that highlights the local opportunities available to them to enhance the national marketing strategy, but in addition we have launched a brand new marketing club that will enable retailers to further increase their local marketing activity to drive basket spend and footfall in their stores.

“We are currently testing a number of business-to-consumer digital initiatives and developing a new online customer relationship management system and digital business-to-business strategy, as well as new retail technology that will provide retailers with improved access to sales data.”