WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Jan. 13, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SPAR Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:SGRP) ("we", the "Company" or "SPAR Group"), a leading supplier of retail merchandising and other marketing services throughout the United States and internationally, today announced investing in new global Client business solutions, including a retail insight initiative and new leadership roles for 2015. SPAR Group will leverage its technological competitive advantages, global presence and experienced leaders to address client needs for a more robust system to optimize the in-store/omni-channel shopping experience and deliver increased value to its Fortune 1000 customers.
2015 Strategic Initiative:
SPAR's clients are actively seeking global solutions to better manage workforces while recording and analyzing retail data across the globe. They see SPAR as a partner that can provide the overall solution they seek. With its new Global Retail Insights Initiative, SPAR will further develop its technology and collaborate with its global partners to better understand the worldwide data collected and implement strategies to get the consumer into the store and personalize their experience. This will all be reported with SPAR's proprietary central, globalized tools to monitor, measure, report, analyze and optimize merchandising activities. The Company's ability to innovate alongside its global knowledge of trends and best practices has allowed it to develop global strategic relationships and deliver tangible value at senior levels to some of the world's largest and leading retailers and manufacturers.
Jill Blanchard, CEO of SPAR Group, stated, "SPAR Group today stands as a leader within the global merchandising and marketing services industry with experience of over 45 years in retail and over 25 years in merchandising. Several months ago we advanced our mantra to evolve our relationships with our customers from merchandising vendor to retail partner. Today's increased investments and organizational changes reflect the needs of our global Clients and our continued emphasis on delivering only the best experience for their customer."
SPAR's new Global Retail Insights Initiative will allow its Fortune 1000 customers the opportunity to understand retail trends and how to optimally leverage these trends for their in-store sales objectives, providing them a competitive advantage. Jill Blanchard offered that, "While these investments in technology and leadership may have some impact on our profitability in the short term, we believe that it is the key to enhancing our long-term growth prospects, competitive advantage and margins."
New Leadership:
Jill Blanchard continued, "In addition to our technological investments, we are implementing a Strategic Sales and Account Management process to better position SPAR with both our current and prospective clients by restructuring and investing in our Client Services and Sales divisions. To support our strategic initiatives, SPAR Group has assigned Todd Bryce to lead International Business Development, appointed Dave Manchester as Senior Vice President of Customer Development, and also appointed Dave Musiel as Senior Vice President of Marketing. Their experience and success across Operations, Client Services, Sales and Marketing are a great fit for SPAR and our clients globally."
Todd Bryce has been an outstanding leader over the past 8 years driving SPAR Group's operational domestic success and leading our client service teams. His ability to identify customer needs, build and implement operational plans, and execute with the highest quality has been instrumental in SPAR retaining and growing our customer base. Going forward, Todd will retain his focus on domestic operations and expand his role by lending his significant experience to the International Business Development Team. Todd's thorough understanding of SPAR, his operational expertise, and his 25 year retail industry experience are the perfect combination to identifying and integrating future acquisition opportunities internationally.
Dave Manchester joins SPAR Group with 20 years of experience in the retail industry and proven success in Strategic Account Management and Sales across multiple companies including Nielsen, Wrigley & HAVI. He is known for delivering value to his customers resulting in strong partnerships that ultimately lead to increased revenue. SPAR is thrilled to have him join our team.
Dave Musiel brings a wealth of relevant experience to SPAR with over 20 years in building brands, leading the creation of innovative solutions in the areas of in-store and shopper marketing, sales promotion, experiential marketing and social media. Dave has worked with some of the biggest marketing agencies in the world on both brand and retailer clients, including Coca-Cola, IKEA, Kellogg's, and Sony. Dave's vision, creativity and marketing knowledge will be a big asset for SPAR.
Jill Blanchard concluded, "The Company and the Board of Directors also extends its sincere appreciation to Patricia Franco, who left SPAR effective December 31, 2014, for her dedication as President of SPAR International and wish her the best in her future endeavours."
About SPAR Group
SPAR Group, Inc. is a diversified international merchandising and marketing services Company and provides a broad array of services worldwide to help companies improve their sales, operating efficiency and profits at retail locations. The Company provides merchandising and other marketing services to manufacturers, distributors and retailers worldwide, primarily in mass merchandiser, office supply, value, grocery, drug, independent, convenience, toy, home improvement and electronics stores, as well as providing furniture and other product assembly services, audit services, in-store events, technology services and marketing research. The Company has supplied these project and product services in the United States since certain of its predecessors were formed in 1979 and internationally since the Company acquired its first international subsidiary in Japan in May of 2001. Product services include restocking and adding new products, removing spoiled or outdated products, resetting categories "on the shelf" in accordance with client or store schematics, confirming and replacing shelf tags, setting new sale or promotional product displays and advertising, replenishing kiosks, providing in-store event staffing and providing assembly services in stores, homes and offices. Audit services include price audits, point of sale audits, out of stock audits, intercept surveys and planogram audits. Other merchandising services include whole store or departmental product sets or resets (including new store openings), new product launches, in-store demonstrations, special seasonal or promotional merchandising, focused product support and product recalls. The Company currently does business in 9 countries that encompass approximately 50% of the total world population through its operations in the United States, Canada, Japan, South Africa, India, China, Australia, Mexico and Turkey. For more information, please visit the SPAR Group's website at http://www.sparinc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking, including (without limitation) expectations or guidance respecting establishing or strengthening our retail partner relationship with our clients, our collection or analysis of retail data or its value, our provision of insights to our clients, whether such insights will lead to our clients' competitive advantage, whether such insights will lead to our clients' better understanding retail trends, whether a better understanding of such insights and retail trends will lead to our clients' leveraging them to further their in-store sales objectives, our development of new or improved ways to use technology in-store, and our finding the best, brightest and most experienced professionals to join SPAR Group, our building upon and investing in further innovations to strengthening the Company's business, our improving on the value we already deliver to clients, and growing our client base and our customer contract expansion. Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking statements because the matters they describe are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. The Company's actual results, performance and trends could differ materially from those indicated or implied by such statements as a result of various factors, including (without limitation) the continued strengthening of SPAR Group's selling and marketing functions, continued customer satisfaction and contract renewal, new product development, continued availability of capable dedicated personnel, continued cost management, the success of its international efforts, success and availability of acquisitions, availability of financing and other factors, as well as by factors applicable to most companies such as general economic, competitive and other business and civil conditions. Information regarding certain of those factors and other risk factors and cautionary statements that could affect future results, performance or trends are discussed in SPAR Group's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and other filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. All of the Company's forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by all such risk factors and other cautionary statements.