Spar retailer expands with Lancaster store

SPAR franchisee Lawrence Hunt has added a store in Lancaster to its growing portfolio.

The family-run business, based in Preston, now has 27 Spar shops, employing more than 500 people across the North West.

The new store, which employs 20 staff, was formerly a petrol station and is sited on the A6 heading north out of Lancaster.

The site was secured and developed with a £1.25m funding package from The Co-operative Bank.

Managing director Kevin Hunt, who took over the business from his father eight years ago, said: “Our strategy has always been to wait for the right site and then develop a high-quality, bright and modern convenience store that will effectively serve the local community for many years. This latest store in Lancaster once again achieves all these aims.”

Gerald Waterfield, senior corporate manager at Co-op Bank’s Lancashire Corporate Banking Centre, said:  “Kevin… has accomplished a great deal by driving the business on, even now in the face of a difficult economic climate.”