Dutch grocery retailer Spar has formally launched in Indonesia with three stores opening in Jakarta.

Spar Indonesia is a joint venture between Amsterdam based Spar International and local retailer Ramayana Lestari Sentosa. The joint venture will open 15 stores in the Asian nation by the end of the year.

Listed Ramayana has 116 department stores throughout Indonesia trading under the Ramayana, Robinson and Cahaya brands.

Spar says €1 million (US$1.13 million) was invested in fitting out the three Spar stores, located in the suburbs of Bogor, Cibitung and Cibubur, which were converted from other formats. Each store is about 1500 sqm in size, offering a full supermarket range, including fresh foods, an in-store bakery, hot foods to go and an in-store dining area.

Spar International has more than 12,000 stores worldwide and achieved global retail sales of €32.2 billion in 2013. It describes the partnership with Ramayana, announced last September, as a key part of its ongoing expansion into Asia.

Tobias Wasmuht, international retail director with Spar International said the stores introduce “a new level of retailing excellence to the Indonesian marketplace”.

“Today’s developments will act as a strong foundation to develop our strategy and build our presence further in the Indonesian market.”

Agus Makmur, Ramayana’s president, said his company’s understanding of shopping patterns and shopper demand along with our investment in training and staff, and relationship with local suppliers, rendered Ramayana the perfect partner for Spar in Indonesia.

“Based on our years of experience serving customers in Indonesia, we are confident that these stores offer shopping environments which provide excellent value, quality and service to the typical greater Jakarta family.”