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SPAR is the world's largest international food retail chain. In the UK, it is the leading convenience store group with nearly 2,400 stores and a turnover of more than £3 billion. Each country’s local SPAR organisation is owned and managed independently. SPAR UK is owned by five retail distribution companies, with a central London-based office providing buying, marketing, and administration support to the distributors and stores.

Results

By partnering with the boxxe Group, SPAR achieved a significant reduction in physical servers, resulting in easier and faster data recovery. The long-term relationship ensured reliable IT services, supporting SPAR's ongoing operations and future projects.

Services Delivered

Faster data recovery, reduced from days to minutes. The boxxe Group provides PCs, servers, storage and other equipment, as well as consumables such as printer toner.

Technologies Deployed

80% reduction in physical servers. The boxxe Group has handled a virtualisation project that included a server and storage infrastructure refresh, and has provided over a decade of reliable IT partnership.

Industry Sector

The world's largest international food chain, SPAR has nearly 2,400 stores and a £3 billion turnover.

Business Driver

SPAR needed a reliable partner to handle and meet their expectations for IT services.

Happy employee using laptop in relaxed office

Challenge

SPAR UK’s central office required a dependable IT provider to act as a one-stop shop for all their IT needs, including PCs, servers, storage, software licensing, and consumables. The goal was to find a partner who could deliver consistent, high-quality service and support the company's growing IT demands.

Plan

The boxxe Group planned to provide comprehensive IT support for SPAR UK’s central office, including hardware provision, software licensing management, and project-specific services. This involved a detailed assessment of SPAR’s existing infrastructure and a strategic plan to enhance it.

Approach

The boxxe Group has been the main IT provider for SPAR UK for over ten years, delivering PCs, servers, storage, and consumables. Key projects included a major migration to a virtualised VMware environment, which involved refreshing the server and storage infrastructure. boxxe’s consultants organised the migration, recommended the necessary equipment, and provided comprehensive planning and support.

Outcome

With the virtualisation project, SPAR reduced its number of physical servers by 80%, significantly improving data recovery times. Now, a whole server can be recovered in minutes with just a few clicks, whereas previously, it could take days. This efficiency has made SPAR’s IT operations more resilient and responsive to business needs.

We’ve stayed with the boxxe Group over the years because we have such a good relationship.

The team is responsive and understands what we need – if we require something urgently, we just call them and we know it’ll be there the next morning, or even the same day if needed. They have the right technical people, and I can get information when I need it. The relationship with the boxxe Group  is more like working with a friend or colleague than with a supplier – it’s always a good, friendly atmosphere, and I can phone, text, or email whenever I need. I would recommend them unreservedly.

Jim Nuth
IT Manager
SPAR

Get In Touch

Ready to transform your IT infrastructure and achieve greater efficiency? Contact us today to learn how our tailored solutions can support your business goals.

0330 236 9429
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