BWG Foods, a wholesale group which belongs to South African-based The Spar Group Limited, has declared plans to invest €35 million towards enhancing its Mace retail brand. Mace, alongside Spar, Eurospar, Londis, and XL, are among the several retail and convenience labels run by BWG Foods in Ireland.
The investment announcement, made during a Mace retailer gathering in Killarney, is part of BWG’s ‘Partners for Ambition’ approach for the next six years. This strategy underscores the company’s commitment to pour €35 million into Mace over this timeframe. The strategy’s reveal comes at a time when Mace has experienced three successive years of boosted growth. In 2020, a combined investment of €28.5 million from BWG and Mace retailers led to a cumulative 41% growth in the subsequent three years.
Furthermore, Mace recorded its highest ever sales in 2023, with revenues reaching €400 million, marking a 6.5% rise from 2022. Looking ahead, BWG predicts a growth rate of 5% in 2024 for its Mace business, pointing towards potential retail sales worth €420 million.
BWG Food’s sales director, Keith Crawford, stressed that the forthcoming €35 million investment would focus on boosting the in-store experience and elevating the Mace brand’s marketing efforts. He believes it’s critical to redevelop their store design and to regard Mace stores as integral to the community. The latest strategy aims to place more emphasis on customer service and breathe new life into interactions between staff and customers.
While Crawford acknowledged that company growth and adding more Mace stores are essential objectives, he noted that the current funding is primarily directed towards improving the existing network of approximately 150 Mace outlets nationwide.
He further outlined that as retailers and BWG have significantly invested in Mace in recent years, the present strategy focuses on strengthening this already successful partnership. Despite the new funding primarily targeting the existing branch network, the company will strive to expand in the coming years, as per their standard protocol.
BWG’s recent growth has been attributed to significant investments in the redevelopment of Mace stores and in customer-centric areas like the deli and off-license sections.
BWG has devoted funds for nationwide promotions and pinpointed electronic media efforts, like their collaboration with brand representative, Johnny Sexton. It shared plans to allocate over €1 million for a novel promotional drive this year that spotlights the earlier Irish rugby skipper.
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