Spar is one of the common grocery stores in the Netherlands. It is much smaller then your typical American grocery store. I shopped here my first week in Amsterdam only because of the convenience. I refuse to walk no further then a block when I first came to Amsterdam because I came during one of the worst winters of the year. January literally felt like hell, but I got through it and use to it. Spar is not what I would call my ideal market to shop, because I felt as a consumer I faced limited selections in terms of produce and variety. I was also disappointed that Spar did not have any gluten free items. Despite their products being limited, I thought their prices were fair and reasonable. The name(Spar) means to save money. Through out my traveling through Europe, I have noticed several chains in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Spain.