Spar Austria signs ‘007’ Brosnan

Spar Austria has signed former “James Bond” star Pierce Brosnan as poster boy of its new product range.The Hollywood star is the face of the company’s “Premium” series including a special selection of pasta, chocolates, spices and other foodstuff. Award-winning chef Johanna Maier from Salzburg also does promotion for the products which are available as of now.Spar also a vast selection of low price products produced by specialist companies for its own range. These products currently make a third of the firm’s overall turnover, up by 10 per cent during the past five years.News that Brosnan – who starred in blockbusters like 1993 comedy “Mrs. Doubtfire” and Tim Burton’s “Mars Attacks” (1996) – has agreed to star on a poster series for the new product range comes one and a half year after Spar presented supermodel Cindy Crawford as testimonial for its line of toiletry products.”Beauty Kiss” is a self-produced bargain range of shower gel, shampoo and other articles. It was introduced in 2003 and now features more than 30 products. Crawford appeared on posters but also in TV commercials for the range.Spar Austria is second in Austria’s supermarket business dominated by Germany’s Rewe Group which runs Billa, Penny Markt, Merkur and other chains.Spar Austria’s turnover rose from 2.35 to 2.44 billion Euros year on year in the first six months of 2010. Its earnings before interest and taxes (Ebit) improved from 36 to 39 million Euros.The company, which has around 70,500 employees said recently it expected its “positive growth” to continue despite the “difficult economic environment”.