James Hall & Co expands food manufacturing for SPAR retailers

James Hall & Co’s chairman and CEO Andrew Hall (left) with SPAR International managing director Tobias Wasmuht.

James Hall & Co is expanding its food manufacturing capabilities to better support SPAR independent retailers in navigating supply chain issues and inflationary pressures.

Chairman and CEO Andrew Hall told more than 600 delegates at the company’s SPAR Forward retailer event: “If we can’t buy it, we will make it” and listed the launches of SPAR fresh chicken products, mid-tier chilled SPAR brand pizzas, and Clayton Park Bakery sourdough lines as key highlights of the last 12 months.

More bread lines, cake varieties, on-the-go food solutions, and ready meals are in the pipeline for launch in the months ahead.

James Hall & Co also intends to build on the success of its fresh food range – fresh food sales in the SPAR Northern Guild have outstripped the wider convenience retail sector by 4% in the last 12 months.

The SPAR Forward event at Harrogate Convention Centre included business sessions, a trade show featuring 66 suppliers, and a social event. It attracted SPAR independent retailers from across the North of England, retail teams from James Hall & Co’s G&E Murgatroyd company-owned SPAR store division, and SPAR colleagues from elsewhere in the UK and internationally.

Joint managing director Dominic Hall reiterated to retailers how SPAR own-brand products drive loyalty and value.

Supporting this, SPAR International managing director Tobias Wasmuht featured own brand, store investment, and fresh food success stories from France, Malta, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, noting the shift to convenience shopping in markets such as Saudi Arabia too where hypermarket stores have traditionally been king.

He said that research showed that 42% of Gen Z buy food to go at least weekly compared to just 27% of Gen X, and championed SPAR Netherlands for winning in the arena of on-the-go food service, particularly in urban and city centre stores, through a strategic decision to move away from declining categories and into direct competition with established food service brands.

Company stores director Fiona Drummond spoke about the evolving food-to-go range at SPAR Kitt Green in Wigan – and the learnings from it – following the introduction of a serve-over deli counter adjacent to the tills during the store’s refurbishment in November 2025.

The move was designed to deliver a seamless service and prevent customers from queuing twice. The store has achieved success in breakfast and lunch sales, as well as improved sales of 32% against comparable SPAR stores between the hours of 2pm and 7pm.

In another update, joint managing director Niels Dekkers said that the SPAR Northern Guild will invest £8.8 million in new retail technology, marketing and margins, including partnering with RELEX Solutions to upgrade forecasting and replenishment across wholesale and retail operations.

He said that the value of Q-commerce platforms to convenience retail was still growing. Uber Eats was introduced in 2025 but has not cannibalised sales placed at company-owned SPAR stores through Deliveroo and Just Eat – instead it has established itself as part of a ‘formidable trio’ that have grown Q-commerce sales by 40% in the last year.

Peter Dodding, sales director and chairman of the SPAR Northern Guild, said: “Prior to SPAR Forward, I said we have convenience retail strategies here at James Hall & Co to keep our SPAR retailers growing both their sales and profitability, and I believe we have achieved this with the presentation of our blueprint for the year ahead.

“Despite the obvious challenges we are facing in the convenience retail sector at present, there is a real feeling of optimism and togetherness under the SPAR brand as we continue to work hard to deliver real success for our retailers.”