Hopeless as a local shop because of its pretensions and belief that they can charge a fortune for everyday groceries. Spar own branded products twice the price of Sainsburys for example. It may aspire to serving quality produce but you can get similar and better quality locally at much cheaper prices. Their stock suggests they know only a little bit about their produce — the ‘edgy’ brands are second rate in each specialism — Union Coffee rather than Square Mile for example. The pizzas aren’t as good as Mon Dragone either.
Nick S.
Place rating: 5 Washington, DC
Yup, this place rocks. Tasty breads from Eat 17, fresh meats and BACONJAM. They have all the goods for burgers and Mexican food, and I got kind of addicted to grabbing a fresh pastry and an Innocent smoothie each morning. Sure, it’s a bit more expensive than Sainsbury’s. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen another grocery store that so fully stocked its shelves with local meat, bread, cheese and desserts. It’s a new high standard.
Lyndsey B.
Place rating: 2 Portsmouth, United Kingdom
there is no question that this Spar has a fantastic range. The staff are lovely and the smell of freshly cooked pizza is really nice. The ambiance is great and shelves are stocked. However, this place is crazy expensive compared to other shops in the heart of Walthamstow. Buy the niche stuff here, but you can get your everyday groceries in a range of places for cheaper around here. Walthamstow is a place full of budget options, and this place is like the Fortnums of E17. It also concerns me that I have seen cheesecakes, sliced and laid out in ambient temperatures, which is a big no-no, in my opinion.
Josy A.
Place rating: 4 London, United Kingdom
Oooh! This Spar makes the world better! It is probably the most middle-class convenience store I have ever been to! There is a good range of exciting Itailian/Spanish meat, amazing cheeses, purple cauliflower(!), random american candy(like those cookies and cream Hershey bars) and even home made microwavable meals(pasta, lasagne, roast chicken… that kind of thing) as well as the amazing bacon Jam. BUT the best part is the lovely Italian man at the back of the shop who will make you a stone baked pizza from scratch. We had to try one(or three… we’ve been back a couple of times.) You have to pay for your food at the till, then give the receipt to pizza-man who then whips up some pizza-shaped-joy for you to take home. Yay! **It’s not just me that thinks this spar is good! I use google to find the postcode and found out that this shop won the convenience Retailer of the Year 2011.**