On 1 January 2026, SPAR Austria has declared that Markus Kaser will become the new Board Deputy Chairman. In recent years the position was not filled. The decision to strengthen the leadership team and provide continuity in management was approved by the Supervisory Board.
Kaser, 54, has worked in SPAR Austria, more than 20 years. He joined the firm in 1998 having finished his business administration course in the University of Innsbruck. He started by doing marketing innovation and digital strategy work, and this includes the creation of the New Media and E-Commerce division of the company.
Kaser joined INTERSPAR in 2003, and helped grow the group hypermarket operations, becoming a member of the management team in 2005. His ability to develop customer interaction and manage category development saw him appointed to the Executive Board of SPAR Austria in 2021.
Kaser serves in his current position as the head of assortment management, marketing, CSR, sustainability, IT, and the INTERSPAR and Maximarkt business divisions. In his role as an Deputy Chairman, he will be at the center of directing the retail format of the company, digital transformation, and enhancing SPAR Austria sustainability and innovation agenda.
The appointment shows SPAR Austria long-term leadership approach which is internal growth and continuity. The company has also focused on its belief in maintaining good management with a strong experience in management in its organisation.
The company SPAR Austria is still a 100 percent privately owned Austrian firm, its origins date back to 1954. In 1970 founding families collaborated with local wholesalers to become a national retail chain that became the modern SPAR Austria AG. The company has a multi-format format that includes SPAR, EUROSPAR, INTERSPAR, and Maximarkt, and a chain of individual retailers under sub-license.
As Kaser takes over this senior position, SPAR Austria is further strengthening its leadership framework and is on its way to 2026, remaining one of the most successful food stores in the Austrian and Central European market.
