SPAR Group announced the appointment of Shirley Ko as general manager of SPAR (Shanghai) Field Marketing Company Ltd., a recently formed joint venture headquartered in Shanghai.

SPAR (Shanghai) Field Marketing plans to offer a wide array of specialized marketing services for retailers and manufacturers throughout China, including in-store RFID merchandising and demonstration, as well as comprehensive data collection. The company’s services are expected to cover more than 50 cities, including Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Beijing, Dalian, Chengdu, Chungqin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta.

Ko joins the company following recent approval from the Chinese government that allowed the formation of the joint venture, which is expected to be operational during the fourth quarter of 2005. She brings to SPAR more than 20 years of relevant sales and marketing services experience throughout the Asian market, most recently having served as corporate development manager of Sims Trading Company in Hong Kong.

A graduate of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Ko’s prior experience includes sales and marketing positions with Pernod Ricard Asia, Orangina International and DCH Beverage Solutions Company.

Robert G. Brown, SPAR Group’s chairman and chief executive officer, said, “We are fortunate to have attracted an executive with the experience and talent of Shirley Ko. She is a proven, highly respected executive in the Asian marketplace and will be instrumental in the final planning stages and successful launch of our joint venture later this year.”

SPAR Group, Inc. is a diversified international marketing services company, providing a broad array of services to help companies improve their sales, operating efficiency and profits at retail worldwide. The company provides in-store merchandising, in-store event staffing, RFID and other technology, as well as research to manufacturers and retailers covering all product classifications and all classes of trade, including mass market, drug store, electronic store, convenience store and grocery chains, throughout the United States and internationally.