The Iceland frozen food specialist retail chain in the United Kingdom has debuted a new convenience store format under the Swift brand. The 1,700-square-foot trial store opened on March 18 at the former Iceland Four Lane Ends site in Benton, Newcastle upon Tyne, which underwent a comprehensive refit.
The operation has doubled the range of products stocked at the previous Iceland store, with nearly 3,000 lines on offer covering the full spectrum of grocery, frozen, chilled, fresh, alcohol, tobacco and food-to-go. Its novel layout breaks down the traditional barriers between frozen and chilled food to provide a complete assortment of meal solutions, with lunch and dinner meal deals on offer every day.
“The launch is the start of a really exciting concept and we’re thrilled to be opening our first site in Newcastle,” said Matt Downes, head of space and format development at Iceland. “The store is located on a very busy road, next to a major Metro hub with free parking outside. It seemed the perfect location for a convenience store trial.”
Through innovative design, including the use of vertical refrigeration on every wall, Swift allows for a bigger shopping experience with thousands of lines stocked.
Iceland Managing Director Richard Walker remarked: “Swift has a focus on being fast, fresh and local. Our last ‘one store trial’ of a new store format was The Food Warehouse in 2014, and we now have 140 stores. If this trial resonates with consumers there is potential to expand it both within the existing Iceland store estate and beyond to expand our existing network of stores in almost 1,000 communities across the UK.”
