According to The Grocer, Iceland has agreed a deal to take over almost 20 Poundworld stores.

Stores to open next year

Iceland has agreed to acquire 19 Poundworld stores. According to an Iceland spokesman, the stores are all expected to open next year. In line with Iceland's strategy to grow its The Food Warehouse format, four of the 19 stores will be converted to this banner. The rest of the 15 sites will be converted to Iceland stores.

Inside Iceland and The Food Warehouse

Take a look inside the retailer's two formats to see how the in-store experience is evolving and how Iceland is trying to attract more shoppers:

Iceland, Clapham

The Food Warehouse, Wolverhampton

Iceland strategy

To read our comprehensive guide to retailers' strategic priorities and market trends in the UK, and the opportunities they create for suppliers, click here. 

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According to The Grocer, Iceland is set to relaunch its online platform with improved capabilities and plans to expand its vegan product range.

Iceland online: improving the shopper experience

Frozen food specialist, Iceland is set to launch a new website at the end of September.

The move is designed to improve shopper experience and forms part of Iceland’s broader plans to boost its technological infrastructure.

Details of the websites improved features are yet to be confirmed by retailer.

Expanding its plant-based offer

Iceland is set to expand its plant-based offer with the addition of thirteen new vegan-friendly products to its private label range.

According to IGD Shopper Vista research 1 in 10 British grocery shoppers follow a plant-based diet (vegan or vegetarian).

Iceland is looking to cater for this growing demand, and has ambitions to become the UK supermarket retailer with the largest frozen plant-based range.

The range expansion builds on the success of its No Bull burger launch earlier this year. New products will include thirteen new own-brand products including vegan-friendly meat-free chorizo, sausages, burgers and chicken.

The range additions will be displayed in Iceland's dedicated vegan fixture. In July, in a similar move to Waitrose, Iceland launched a dedicated vegan fixture, designed to help plant-based shoppers navigate the range.

Want to know more?

Discover more about latest Iceland developments on the retailer homepage here.

Iceland partners with home and garden chain 'The Range' and is set to roll out shop-in-shop concessions in its stores.

Iceland and The Range: 'a strategic alliance'

Iceland has entered a strategic partnership with value-focused home and garden chain The Range and is set to launch shop-in-shop Iceland concessions in its stores.

The frozen food specialist will initially open concessions in three of The Range’s stores across Liverpool and the Midlands. The stores will stock Iceland's complete food range. If successful, Iceland concessions will be rolled out to The Range’s full estate, consisting of 158 stores.

The move will help to drive sales for Iceland and attract new shoppers through store presence in new locations.

The contrasting ranges of the two businesses will work to complement each other, providing a one-stop-shop for customers, with a total of 80,000 different products available under one roof.

Value at the heart

The two businesses, Iceland and The Range, have a strong value focus. Iceland claims that this is what makes the two chains ‘natural partners’.

Iceland Founder & Executive Chairman, Sir Malcolm Walker commented on the partnership, "The ethos of The Range - 'to bring our customers great quality products at the most competitive prices' - is absolutely identical to Iceland's, so I feel that we make natural partners in this new alliance".

The partnership follows the retailers recently announced positive sales growth, driven by the expansion of its Food Warehouse banner.

Want to know more?

Discover more about latest Iceland developments on the retailer homepage here.