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Paul Stone, an independent retailer who owns five stores in the city, has sold the million sandwiches since Marie Curie became Spar’s national charity partner in 2016.
One penny from every sandwich and wrap sold in a Spar store in the north of England goes to Marie Curie, meaning more than £10,000 has been raised for the charity by the Manchester group.
One of Stone’s stores, which he owns jointly with Rob Hinchey at City Tower, is the leading Spar in northern England for sales.
Stone said: “When I reflect on the figure of one million sandwich sales across my Manchester Spar stores, it is very humbling, especially as those sales fund Marie Curie directly through the one penny initiative.”
The Manchester stores are supplied by Spar wholesaler James Hall, which Stone said had been crucial in achieving the sales success.
Hinchey added: “I’m really proud of Spar City Tower’s achievement. We have a fantastic food-to-go offer in-store and it’s a great feeling that this contributes to the incredible work carried out by Marie Curie.
“I’ve been with Spar since I left university. I have a long family association with the brand, as my parents had a store and my cousin has one, so I understand its value to people and the communities we serve.”
James Hall is Spar UK’s primary wholesaler and distributor for the north of England. The company serves a network of 600 independent Spar retailers and company-owned Spar stores six days a week from its base in Preston, Lancashire.
