70th anniversary

New splendor for the Spar founder’s market in Kufstein

Spar CEO Hans K. Reisch (center) with daughters Tina (left) and Lena (right) are delighted with Managing Director Patricia Sepetavc (2nd from right) and store manager Marina Feichtner.

(Bild: Berger Hubert)

70 years ago, the Spar Tirol/Pinzgau trade association was founded in Kufstein by food wholesaler Hans F. Reisch. In the same year, the first Spar store in Tyrol saw the light of day, which now shines in new splendor.

Spar was founded in the Netherlands in 1932. Independent wholesalers and retailers joined together to form a voluntary retail chain. The aim of this merger was to "concentrate joint forces in order to counter the pressure of ever-increasing competition". Under the logo of the "green fir tree", which still exists today, this pioneering idea found its way to Austria in 1954, almost ten years after the end of the war.

The first Spar store was opened in Kufstein in 1954.

(Bild: SPAR)

Hans F. Reisch and 100 independent merchants
In this year, the Tyrolean wholesaler Hans F. Reisch, who died on July 23, 2004 at the age of 97, laid the foundation stone for the company, which is still family-owned today. The Spar Tirol/Pinzgau trade association was founded in his home town of Kufstein. It included 100 independent merchants who worked together in areas such as goods purchasing, organization and marketing.

By the end of the 1950s, Spar was already represented throughout Austria. Today, Spar is the market leader in the domestic food retail sector and, with 51,000 employees, is also Austria's largest employer.

Modern and digital into the 71st year
The very first Spar store, the so-called Spar-Gründermarkt, was built on Unterer Stadtplatz in Kufstein. On Friday, its 70th birthday was taken as an opportunity to completely modernize and digitize it. At the same time, the façade of the building was also redesigned in line with the historical model. Inside, the Gründermarkt now presents itself in the latest store design, with a fresh food marketplace and a spacious delicatessen section. Novelties such as a breakfast "to go" or Italian panini and focaccia round off the range.

Spar was already the pioneer of self-service in the large range offered by the Gründermarkt.

(Bild: SPAR)

Today, Spar is the market leader
For the Spar founding family Reisch and Hans K. Reisch, CEO of Spar Austria, the festive reopening is associated with many positive memories and understandably also with emotions: "This is where my grandfather laid the foundations for Spar's success. 70 years ago, the Spar flagship store was a grocery store that was pioneeringly ahead of its time. Today, Spar is by far Austria's most popular food retailer and the market leader in the Austrian food retail sector. That makes us proud and we are very happy about it."

The Kufstein Town Hall provided the perfect setting for the Spar anniversary celebrations.

(Bild: Berger Hubert)

Focus on local and regional products
In addition to the well-known and popular own brands, numerous local products from Kufstein and the surrounding area invite you to enjoy a pleasant shopping experience in the historic Gründermarkt. For example, fine bread and baked goods from the Hauber bakery and fresh herbs from Strillinger in Söll are on offer.

From today, store manager Marina Feichtner and her team will be welcoming old and certainly many new customers. The opening hours remain customer-friendly: the Spar store on Unterer Stadtplatz in Kufstein is open Monday to Friday from 6.50 am to 7 pm and on Saturdays from 6.50 am to 6 pm.