Being a retailer is not easy, however for Alasia and Stratos Moumtzis, their journey began with an unexpected challenge. Just eight days after opening their first SPAR store in Lorraine, Port Elizabeth, the roof of their store collapsed.

“The only thing stopping the roof from hitting the floor was the shelving,” Alasia recalls with a wry smile. Despite the dramatic start, SPAR’s head office stepped in to help, and six months later, the store reopened. That second chance proved pivotal. The Lorraine SPAR went on to thrive and became the foundation of a lifelong association with the SPAR brand, with the Moumtzis’ opening a KWIKSPAR in the city and the Figtree SPAR in Lorraine, before selling these operations and consolidating their SPAR investments in the Newton Park SUPERSPAR.

Today, 35 years after becoming a SPAR retailer, and aged 68, Alasia is still actively involved as owner of the Newton Park SUPERSPAR, which opened its doors in 1999.

Bigger and brighter than their original store, Newton Park was one of the pioneers in the concept of a grocery store becoming a destination store, a process that the family oversaw as Newton Park SUPERSPAR grew.

Stratos passed away in 2017, and Alasia’s daughter, Narissa, an attorney, ensured that her mom’s load was lightened. She undertook training at the SPAR Academy of Learning, which provides centralised virtual training and tailored regional teaching modules. With ‘in-store’ guidance from her mother, she became involved in running the store and then took over the day-to-day management of the operation.

In 2021, Alasia proudly accepted the prestigious National SPAR Retail Award for the Newton Park SUPERSPAR. This prestigious annual accolade recognises the loyalty and contribution a retailer has made to maintaining the values of the SPAR brand in areas such as customer service, community engagement, innovation, and store performance.

“Having watched my mom’s progress and build store after store has meant a lot to me,” says Nerissa, referring to Alasia’s achievements at SPAR, and particularly the opening of the KWIKSPAR and Figtree SPAR. “She has been a major influence in my life, the lives of our staff and the success of the Newton Park store.”

During her long association with SPAR, Alasia has left her mark on the brand by serving on the marketing board for the Eastern Cape and SPAR’s regional and national Guilds, representing the independent SPAR retailers who benefit from SPAR’s supply chain, group marketing, branding support and distribution centres.

Being the first woman to serve on the national Guild, she firmly believes that women retailers have unique attributes that they bring to the retail industry. These include connecting with customers and recognising that female shoppers will often seek out other women when they need advice. She notes that women retailers also pay attention to detail, examining all aspects of a store, and identifying and rectifying the tiny things that can become big problems if not resolved.

Although the family now only owns the successful Newton Park SUPERSPAR, it would be wrong to assume that everything is plain sailing and that challenges do not exist.  The store is surrounded by stores representing other major brands.

The primary differentiator between the competitors is that SPAR stores are owner-operated, says Alasia. “Our forte will always be customer interaction by owners who are always visible, high levels of service and community involvement.”

At Newton Park, community involvement encompasses supporting nonprofit organisations that operate soup kitchens for the needy, aiding animal welfare bodies, and arranging a monthly event to maintain contact with senior customers.

“The role that Alasia plays not only demonstrates community engagement and support but is also a true testament to SPAR’s vision of inspiring people to be and do more in everything we undertake.”

“We are privileged to have outstanding entrepreneurs like Alasia within our ranks. It is she and others like her who embody the true culture and ethos of our business model, which is fundamentally designed to support and encourage their success on their retail journey.”

“We are proud of the contribution women like Alasia make in SPAR stores across South Africa,” says Mpudi Maubane, PR and Sponsorship Manager at The Spar Group, adding that there are now more than 30 women storeowners across the country a number that SPAR says will grow in the future.

At the SPAR Group, our strategy for fostering development, expanding our nationwide store presence, and creating value through entrepreneurship relies on empowering and inspiring community store owners to excel. Therefore, we support entrepreneurs so they can navigate the complexities of modern retail business.”

“Through the SPAR Academy of Learning, we aim to develop and support women store managers, leaders, and owners to thrive in business management, not just to excel. We see their participation as more than merely creating jobs but as an effort to bridge the gender gap. We aim to facilitate these programmes by cultivating the next generation of store managers, leaders, and owners needed by our economy,” says Maubane.

Unforeseen changes and new opportunities shape Moumtzis' rewarding 30-year career as a SPAR store owner. From her early days running an aerobics studio in Athens, Greece, to relocating to the Eastern Cape, a chance connection with SPAR, a brand that is still growing, altered the course of her life. Her story is a powerful reminder of how embracing unexpected moments can lead to lasting success.

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