SPAR Austria has opened a substantially enlarged EUROSPAR supermarket in Kalsdorf near Graz, increasing the selling area from about 700 square metres to more than 1,300 square metres and creating ten additional jobs.

The new store opened on 12 November 2026 at Hauptstraße 42 on the site of its former SPAR supermarket. It represents a shift to the larger EUROSPAR format, with a wider food and non-food range, an expanded fresh-food offer and new refrigeration and energy systems.

The development is relevant beyond one Austrian town because it shows how food retailers are investing in larger neighbourhood stores rather than relying only on discount formats or out-of-town hypermarkets. The expanded supermarket has room for a broader product range while retaining a location already familiar to local shoppers.

SPAR says the selling space has nearly doubled. That does not mean that sales, footfall or profitability have doubled; the company has not reported trading results for the new store. The immediate, measurable change is the additional space available for categories and services.

The store includes a prominent fresh-food marketplace near the entrance, with prepared snacks, delicatessen products offered through a staffed counter and a larger everyday grocery assortment. A pharmacy has also opened alongside the supermarket, bringing another service to the site.

SPAR regional managing director Christoph Holzer said the new EUROSPAR marked a fresh chapter for local food provision in Kalsdorf. He highlighted the wider assortment, including ready-to-eat snacks, and confirmed that the conversion added ten jobs. The store now employs 35 people under manager Renate Hübler.

For food manufacturers and wholesalers, the enlargement potentially creates additional shelf opportunities across fresh produce, chilled foods, ambient groceries and household products. However, the retailer has not disclosed an increase in the number of listed suppliers or any new contracts linked specifically to the conversion.

The building is also designed around energy efficiency. Solar panels on the roof provide electricity for the property, LED lighting reduces electricity demand, and heat recovered from refrigeration equipment is used to warm the building. The roof structure uses timber construction.

These investments matter to grocery operators because refrigeration, lighting and heating all contribute to the cost of running a supermarket. Recovering heat that would otherwise be wasted may reduce purchased heating energy, although SPAR has not published independently verified savings for this particular store.

The site includes 146 car-parking spaces, four of which have charging facilities for electric vehicles. Parking and accessibility are particularly relevant for a larger supermarket that expects customers to complete a more comprehensive shop rather than only pick up a few items.

By replacing a smaller SPAR with EUROSPAR, the group is testing how greater assortment breadth and additional services can support a local catchment. It is part of a wider competitive landscape covered by Austria’s leading supermarket groups, where differences in store format, location and supply networks shape grocery competition.

The investment also connects with the sector’s growing attention to supermarket refrigeration systems. Heat recovery does not eliminate refrigeration demand, but it can make better use of energy already consumed by cooling equipment.

Independent local reporting confirmed the enlarged sales area, new employment and store opening, while SPAR’s own published store listing identifies the new EUROSPAR at Hauptstraße 42. The address matters because Kalsdorf also has another SPAR supermarket at Koralmstraße 4; they are separate locations.

The new store is open Monday to Friday from 7.15am to 7.30pm and on Saturday from 7.15am to 6pm. These operating details are practical for the community, but the larger question for the retail trade is whether the expanded fresh-food space and broader range translate into sustained increases in sales per store.

The opening gives SPAR Austria additional capacity in Kalsdorf at the start of the winter trading period. No revenue forecast or new-store rollout commitment was announced as part of this particular project.

Editor’s Note: Facts about the 12 November 2026 opening are drawn from SPAR Austria’s announcement, its official store listing and contemporary local reporting. GTN’s analysis focuses on store formats, fresh-food merchandising and energy systems rather than treating unreported sales growth as established fact.