FOODMART (SPAR GEORGIA)

 Since 2018, Spar Georgia, on its own initiative and before the law was enacted, started to use biodegradable packets. The Green Boxes initiative was introduced, aimed at saving paper through collecting and reprocessing waste paper.

Since early 2018 to date, in partnership with the petrol filling station, Frego, up to 20 tons of cooking oil used in production by Spar was reprocessed into biodiesel, thereby avoiding polluting nature with waste and saving the natural resource – oil. Besides, biodiesel is much more economical and ecologically clean than standard oil products.

This year, Spar intends to enter into partnership with the international company, Environserve, which will take out electronic waste from the country for reprocessing.

Responsible Employer

People are the main support and the most important asset of Spar Georgia. In order to have employees feel comfortable in the company to the maximum extent, Spar, in addition to legislative requirements, offers them various benefits.

More than 2,000 employees enjoy a 50% discount on ready-made food produced by Spar during the day, all employees of the supermarkets are provided with Metroman travel cards with the company topping them up to cover travel expenses and any job opening is first communicated inside the company before being announced publicly in order to provide employees with a healthy competition environment to grow. Since 2019 to date, up to 50 administrators were promoted to the position of managers, up to 100 consultants were promoted to the position of administrators and three managers moved to the position of regional managers in 2019.

In 2018, well performing students were identified who were offered jobs at Foodmart; the company covered 100% of the education costs for four students.

Responsibility in the Marketplace

The key message of Spar for society is Together Better – Customer First! Spar Georgia works around the clock to supply customers with food.

The majority of Spar supermarkets are adjusted to persons with disabilities.

Preference among suppliers is given to local companies and entrepreneurs. At present, Spar has up to ten such suppliers and is in negotiations with several others. Spar regularly cooperates with small entrepreneurs and provides them with a trading space and an opportunity to grow and develop.

Every New Year, Spar uses baskets manufactured by a social enterprise, Tsnuli in Kaspi, as packaging for the gifts it gives to its partners. Employees of the social enterprise are socially disadvantage people and persons with disabilities.

The company maintains an electronic record of demands and complaints from customers.

Supporting Communities

Spar Georgia understands its responsibility to the public. When implementing social projects, Spar pays attention to the protection and maintenance of the cultural heritage of the country, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, tries to contribute to the healthy integration of persons with disabilities into society.

Since 2016 to date, one tetri from each purchased package at Spar supermarkets goes to a charity foundation, Ertguleba. With the amount accumulated at Spar, the foundation finances the restoration work of monuments of Georgia’s cultural heritage; so far, this work has been carried out on 20 churches and cathedrals.

Spar Georgia continues to support an autism research and support foundation; in particular, in 2019, Spar, along with the Tbilisi Mayor’s Office, the Healthcare Ministry, the Rugby Federation and others, supported a unique project in the Caucasus, the construction of the national autism center, Color City.