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Neil Henry, marketing director at convenience store operator Spar

(UK), has quit to become group marketing director at an unnamed home

improvement retailer.

His surprise resignation comes only weeks after International Spar, the

Amsterdam owner of the Spar group, appointed a new global marketing

chief, Tobias Wasmuht, to oversee international expansion of the Spar

brand (Marketing May 18).

Spar’s marketing controller, Susan Darbyshire, will replace Henry when

he leaves on June 9. She will head Spar’s UK brand advertising while

retailer advertising will continue to be handled at shop level.

Henry, who declined to name his new employer, has been instrumental in

increasing Spar’s marketing presence in the UK. In July last year he

appointed Dublin based ad agency Genesis to create Spar’s first national

advertising campaign, which was launched in December.

In the past few months Spar has begun an aggressive UK expansion

programme.

The company announced earlier this year that it planned to increase its

network of 2700 UK stores by 750 over the next five years. It is also

expected to launch a number of supermarket-sized outlets following the

opening in February of a 5000 sq ft Belfast outlet.

Henry told Marketing: ’The group marketing budget will grow with the

store expansion, as it is comprised of contributions from each

individual store.’ Spar stores are operated on a franchise basis.