With more than 850 stores nationwide, Spar is one of the leading supermarkets in South Africa. Due to the complex environment they operate in, their people and equipment must perform seamlessly in order to serve customers. It is within this context that Spar supermarket chain recognised the need to improve their operational efficiency with solutions that will ensure they are able to deliver to their customers.

To achieve this, Spar required a partner that has the capability to review, transform and ultimately help manage its most essential operational and production resources. As a total workspace solutions provider, Nashua consulted closely with the Spar team. We carefully studied the challenges of the company and listened to their issues and requirements. We then developed custom solutions that meet the unique needs of the company.

The solutions offered by Nashua were rolled out in stages to allow for testing and improvements to take on a continuous basis. Nashua’s initial engagement with the client was to deploy a voice solution, upgrading their existing telephone systems. Spar saw early success regarding communications and was eager to expand to other solutions.

Subsequently, Nashua deployed security cameras around their supermarkets, including at checkout points.

To further enhance security procedures Nashua provided fingerprint readers and facial recognition technology that made it easier for them to track employee time and attendance. Additionally  multifunction printers were installed as part of the workplace upgrades.

Next, we proposed energy management to the client, with the objective to reduce their energy costs. By implementing a solar solution, we were able to track and optimise energy consumption to conserve usage in their supermarkets.

Our scope with Spar grew from servicing three supermarkets to five supermarkets and four Tops at Spar branches.

As Wayne Chowles of Nashua Bloemfontein puts it: “Spar is a unique customer because if they’ve got an issue at 7:00am, you have to be hands-on. It’s the relationship that counts. So, our technical team, as well as myself and the other stakeholders have got a personal relationship with their managers as well.”

By adopting Nashua’s total workspace solutions, Spar has enabled efficiency gains and cost savings, with their critical business functions now properly managed under a single support model.