SPAR Kosova has opened a 600m² supermarket in Pejë, creating 23 jobs and expanding its grocery presence beyond the Pristina area.
The retailer described the SPAR Kosova Pejë supermarket as both a neighbourhood store and a shopping destination for the city and surrounding area. The official announcement was published on 14 September 2026.
The assortment covers food and non-food products, with particular emphasis on fresh categories. Fruit and vegetables are supported by meat, cheese and fish, alongside local brands, international brands and SPAR own-label products.
For grocery suppliers, the store’s scale is commercially relevant. SPAR International reported that its Kosovo network had 10 stores and 6,740m² of selling space in 2025, giving an average of 674m² per outlet.
The Pejë branch is therefore close to the network’s established supermarket size rather than a small convenience experiment. Its 600m² adds the equivalent of almost 9% of SPAR Kosova’s reported 2025 selling area on a gross basis, assuming no store closures or major changes elsewhere in the estate.
SPAR International’s Kosovo market profile recorded retail sales of €19.17 million for 2025. The latest opening gives suppliers a new route into western Kosovo while adding volume to a network that remains modest by international standards.
The mix of SPAR own label with local and international brands will make category balance important. Branded suppliers will be competing not only for space against other manufacturers but also against the retailer’s own range, which is positioned around value and quality.
Local producers may have a stronger opportunity in fresh food and regional lines, where short delivery distances and local recognition can support availability and provenance. However, a fresh-led offer also raises the operational bar around cold-chain control, delivery frequency, shelf life and waste.
For produce, meat, fish and cheese suppliers, reliable replenishment is likely to matter more than headline range width. A 600m² store has less room to absorb slow-moving stock, making case sizes, forecast accuracy and delivery lead times central to keeping availability high without increasing markdowns.
The new store also tests whether SPAR Kosova can combine neighbourhood convenience with destination shopping. Clear category organisation and a broad assortment may encourage larger baskets, but the format still needs to remain quick and accessible for everyday top-up missions.
SPAR Kosova operates under a licence granted by SPAR International and has been part of Meridian Corporation since 2021. The Gashi family-owned Meridian group employs more than 1,000 people across its operations, giving the supermarket business access to wider retail and wholesale capabilities.
The network’s growth has been more measured than the 35-store ambition outlined when SPAR entered Kosovo in 2019. For suppliers assessing the market, current store productivity and regional coverage are more useful indicators than the original rollout target.
The Pejë opening follows SPAR’s continued use of local licence partners to expand in smaller European markets. GTN has also reported on SPAR’s entry into Iceland and a compact SPAR concept in Norway, where assortment and format were adapted to local shopping patterns.
For Pejë, the next measure will be whether the store builds repeat demand across fresh food, local products and own label after the opening promotions end.
Further expansion would increase SPAR Kosova’s relevance to regional suppliers, but it will depend on proving that a roughly 600m² format can deliver sufficient sales density while maintaining fresh availability and competitive prices.
