The SPAR logo, used by the international chain of supermarkets and grocery stores, is presented in its main version on a white panel and consists of two parts: a red rectangular block with the white word SPAR in uppercase letters and a separate geometric image of a green spruce tree enclosed in a green ring. The letters in the wordmark are drawn in a bold, straight sans-serif style with smoothly rounded corners and strokes of equal thickness. The sign uses the brand colors red, green, and white. The history of the name is connected with the Dutch word De Spar, meaning “spruce”, which is why the tree became the brand’s main graphic element from the very beginning. The logo took on its current form in 1968 after a redesign by Raymond Loewy, and since then the combination of the red wordmark and the green spruce in a ring has remained the foundation of SPAR’s visual identity.
SPAR is an international organization of independent retail and wholesale companies operating under a shared brand through a licensing model. The chain began in the Netherlands in 1932, when Adriaan van Well opened the first DESPAR store, and in 1953 SPAR International was established in Amsterdam to expand the brand abroad. Today, SPAR is present in dozens of countries and brings together many thousands of stores through a partnership model: local operators use the common brand, standards, and purchasing system while remaining independent companies. For that reason, SPAR is seen not as a single centralized chain, but as an international association of retail businesses operating under one name and logo.
