SPAR CSI Contact Details

SPAR publishes no dedicated corporate social investment contact. Its Sustainability page carries a Coming Soon placeholder, and its contact page lists customer care, the head office and the six distribution centres with nothing for donations, sponsorship or community funding. That is not an oversight so much as a consequence of how SPAR is structured, and understanding the structure tells you where a request should actually go.

Why there is no central CSI desk

SPAR is a voluntary trading group, not a chain. Almost every SPAR, KWIKSPAR, SUPERSPAR and SaveMor is owned by an independent retailer who buys from a SPAR distribution centre under licence. Head office does not own the stores and does not control their spending. So a request for a hamper, a raffle prize, a school sponsorship or a community donation is decided by the owner of the store you are asking, and a letter to head office in Pinetown will at best be forwarded and at worst go unanswered.

What SPAR does publish

• Customer care: 0860 313 141
• Head office: 031 719 1900
• Head office address: 22 Chancery Lane, Pinetown, 3610

Distribution centres by region

A regional request, one covering several towns rather than a single store, is better aimed at the distribution centre for that region than at Pinetown.

• KwaZulu-Natal: 031 508 5000
• Eastern Cape: 041 404 5000
• Western Cape: 021 690 0000
• North Rand: 011 203 5300
• South Rand: 011 821 4000
• Lowveld: 013 753 6800

Where to send which request

• A single store, a local school or a neighbourhood event: ask the store manager or owner in person, at the store
• Several stores across a province or a regional campaign: the distribution centre for that region
• A national partnership or a media enquiry: head office on 031 719 1900
• A supplier or small business wanting to sell into SPAR: the SPAR Supplier Development Programme, which is a separate route from CSI

Making the ask land

Store owners are approached constantly, so the ones that succeed are specific and small. Say exactly what you want, when you need it by, and what the store gets in return, even if that is only a mention on a programme or a photograph for their noticeboard. Ask in writing on a letterhead with your registration number if you have one, and hand it over in person rather than emailing a general address. If you are a registered non-profit or public benefit organisation, say so and offer your section 18A certificate: a donation that earns a tax deduction is materially easier to approve than one that does not.

A caution

• SPAR does not charge a fee to consider a donation, a sponsorship or a supplier application
• Anyone offering to secure SPAR funding or a SPAR supply contract for a payment is not acting for SPAR
• Verify any unexpected approach in the name of SPAR on customer care, 0860 313 141