NATIONAL retailer Iceland is set to open a large store at Lichfield’s Imperial Retail Park early next year.
Iceland, which has a store in Market Street, intends to open one of its The Food Warehouse stores at the site on Eastern Avenue, which is already home to Lidl and a recently opened B&M outlet, creating 30 new jobs.
If the plan receives the necessary planning and licensing approvals the store will open in the first quarter of 2020.
Keith Hann, Iceland’s Director of Corporate Affairs, said: “The Food Warehouse store is typically twice the size of a core Iceland high street store and carries a wider range of products.
“In addition to the complete Iceland range of frozen, chilled and fresh food and groceries, customers are offered extended ranges of luxury and speciality frozen food, chilled meat and fresh produce, plus value bulk packs of grocery products and selected food-related electrical and homeware lines. (see www.thefoodwarehouse.com)
“The distinctive range and shopping experience offered by The Food Warehouse have successfully extended our appeal to many customers who have never previously shopped at Iceland, and we have proven our ability to trade the two store formats alongside each other in a growing number of towns across the country over the last five years.
“The planned opening of The Food Warehouse is therefore not expected to have any effect on our future plans for our existing Lichfield Market Street store.”
Mr Hann explained that The Food Warehouse chain, which started with a single store in Stoke-on-Trent in September 2014, recently opened its 100th store in Blackpool and the company expects to open a total of 34 new stores across the UK in the current financial year to March 2020, continuing to open stores at the rate of approximately 30 per annum thereafter.
