Spar distributor Blakemore Trade Partners recorded its best ever set of recruitment figures in 2015/16, with net growth of 140 stores.

During the year ending in April 2016 the business welcomed more than 200 new stores to its independent Spar estate, eclipsing the 89 stores recruited in 2014/15.

Blakemore Trade Partners development director Louis Drake said: “The strength of the proposition offered by Blakemore Trade Partners is becomingly increasingly attractive as retailers look for partners who can provide a strategic support package designed to enable retailers to continue to compete in an increasingly competitive market.

“When you add in the innovation in Spar store formats, the strength of our award-winning SPAR brand range and a multichannel marketing strategy you can see why so many retailers are moving to us.”

In 2015/16 year Blakemore began several national agreements with industry-leading multisite operators, including Euro Garages, Roadchef and Rontec.

Over the course of the last 12 months it has welcomed 102 Euro Garages forecourts to its estate, making the forecourt operator the division’s largest national account customer.