The Spar Hongtu Store in Dongguan City, China, has won the Convenience Retailer of the Year 2009 competition, making 2009 the first year that the international award has been presented to a Chinese store.

Chairman of the judging panel, Joe Bana, said that the Spar Hongtu Store, which has a 900 sqm selling area, is really world class for any market.

Spar Hongtu focuses on food-to-go items, but there is also a strong market for fresh food, where customers are given the option of choosing pre-packed or loose produce. Fresh fish are also sold from tanks, allowing customers to select which fish they’d like.

Spar is a group of independent retailers with more than 13,610 stores in 31 countries.