History and Development of the ASPIAG

The food retail chain, SPAR Austria, had developed in a most successful way in Austria since its establishment in the 1950s. The first small food retail chain with 100 independent retailers had grown into a significant company in the 1990s with six retail distribution centres and around 1,600 SPAR and INTERSPAR locations. The shopping centre as an additional commercial segment had been consistently and successfully developed.

However, the Austrian market already showed signs of saturation by the beginning of the 1990s. With the strategic project, ”SPAR 2000", the necessity for the company for a target across the borders was recognized, as well as the accompanying opportunities.

As a result of this future-oriented vision, the ASPIAG (Austria SPAR International, Inc.) was founded in 1990 with headquarters in St. Margrethen (Switzerland). At the head of this new corporation, SPAR appointed one of the most experienced managers and strategists for its foreign development: Hans Drexel.

The goal of SPAR Austria’s corporation abroad was and is to develop independent national SPAR organizations in each of Austria’s neighbouring countries.