SPAR is donating funds to leading ecological organisation ‘One Tree Planted’ to have five trees for every store planted across the UK, with 1,500 being planted across communities here in Northern Ireland.

The announcement of this initiative coincides with Earth Day celebrations on Friday 22nd April, which encourages people to think about climate change and take actions to become more environmentally friendly.

‘One Tree Planted’ is a non-profit organisation that wants to make it easier for people to help the environment and make a positive impact around the world. They have had a huge impact globally by planting over 40 million trees in more than 43 countries, since 2014*.

The campaign will not only educate shoppers, but also contribute to a healthier environment for local communities and enhance the stores’ overall sustainability. SPAR has made a generous donation of £12,500 to the cause across the UK; meaning that at every store in Northern Ireland, a total of five trees will be planted.

This impressive donation is part of SPAR’s new 2022 brand positioning ‘The Joy of Living Locally’, which celebrates what makes SPAR unique and reflects what is meant by the famous strapline, ‘There for you’. The new brand positioning has also set out three pillars in which SPAR’s actions now fall under. The ‘One Tree Planted’ initiative is an example of the ‘Nurture our Neighbourhoods’ pillar, in which SPAR is committed to adding value to the local areas they are part of. Planting these trees will help SPAR give back and positively impact local communities throughout Northern Ireland.

There is a long list of benefits to having more trees planted in Northern Ireland, from cleaning the air we breathe and filtering the water we drink, to providing habitats for the majority of the world’s biodiversity.

Bronagh Luke, Head of Corporate Marketing at Henderson Group which owns SPAR in Northern Ireland commented; “At SPAR, our sense of responsibility for our customers and local communities can be traced back to the beginning of the brand and can be seen through our ongoing ‘Better Together’ and ‘Responsible Retailing’ strategies.

People are at the heart of every initiative we take part in, and we are delighted that through this tree planting initiative, we can focus on the local community, health, the environment and building a more sustainable future for all.”

The initiative will see the first trees planted in September 2022, across the 300+ SPAR stores in Northern Ireland. For more, visit spar-ni.co.uk.