CJ Lang spends big to strengthen shopper appeal of its Spar estate

The new funding will be spent on energy saving refrigeration in company owned stores to improve the customer offering across chilled foods and produce.

The Spar wholesaler and convenience store operator is also planning refits to update formats to enhance the layout, look and feel of its 100-plus stores in Scotland.

Colin McLean, the company’s chief executive, said: “Our Spar stores are positioned in the heart of communities and now is the time to carry out the next phase of our store improvement strategy.

“In recent years, we have successfully rolled out Costa Coffee, our CJ’s food-to-go offer and improved our fleet of vehicles that travel millions of miles a year.

“This is the largest investment the board has made in our company-owned stores and  demonstrates our confidence in the future direction of the business.”

The new investment comes on top of work the company has undertaken over the past three years to develop its Spar business.