Department store giant Iceland plans to close more stores after a series of closures this year.
The frozen food specialist has already cut 11 stores this year as major brands seek to cut costs amid rampant inflation and a cost-of-living crisis.
The budget chain has now revealed that it will close five more stores between now and September, bringing the total closures to 16 in 2023.
Among the latest stores to be axed is Iceland’s Cowdenbeath High Street store in Fife, Scotland, which will close its shutters forever on Saturday, August 12, according to The Sun.
This will follow at the retailers location in Llanelli, Wales, on Saturday, September 2nd.
Then, on Saturday, September 16th, the Iceland Store in the Market Shopping Centre, Krewe, will be closed.
Also being chipped are retailer locations in St David’s Place, Swansea and Grange Road, Birkenhead, which will close on 29 July and 16 September respectively.
Iceland currently has around 500 stores across the UK.
But as the cost of living crisis continues to grip the nation, supermarket managers have had to rein in spending.
This year has already seen Iceland close shops in downtown Hitchin and the Beccles branch in Suffolk, which closed on June 17.
Branches in Bromsgrove, Basingstoke and Rhyl have also closed for good, as have stores in Newport, Berwick and Hexham.
The supermarket, which has opened 200 stores in the past 10 years, says any closings it makes are part of its ongoing review of its operations.
Richard Walker, chief executive of Iceland Foods, told MailOnline: ‘Across Iceland and The Food Warehouse, we have a portfolio of over 1,000 stores in the UK and our retail estate has grown by close to 200 stores over the last 10 years. .
We usually open more than 20 new stores every year, which creates many new jobs and contributes to the growth of local economies.
At the same time, we constantly review the retail experience offered to our customers and always close a small number of stores each year, as local shopping patterns change and store leases expire.
“The business is currently trading very strongly, achieving record market shares.”
A number of major UK retailers and banks have closed major branches in swathes so far in 2023. Iconic brands including Marks & Spencer, Boots and New Look have closed stores in 2023.
Several retailers are also due to close branches this month, including Argos and Poundland.
Some branches will be replaced with new stores in different locations while others are set to leave Main Street for good.
The news comes as research from the Office for National Statistics indicates that food prices are falling more slowly in the UK than in most industrialized economies, mainly due to reliance on food imports.
In March, food price inflation was 21.2 percent in Germany, compared to 19.1 percent in the United Kingdom, 16.9 percent in France, 13.2 percent in Italy, 9.7 percent in Canada, and 8.3 percent in the United States. and 8 percent. in Japan.
Iceland store closed this year
Mill Lane, Bromsgrove – Closed 25th February
Chineham Shopping Center in Basingstoke – Closed 25th February
White Rose Centre, Rhyl – Closed 14th March
South Street, Newport, Isle of Wight – Closed 25th March
St Catherine Place, Bedminster, Bristol – Closed 25th March
Dignol Centre, Bangor – Closed 27th March
Newport, South Wales – Closed on 22nd April
Marygate, Berwick- Closed 22nd April
Flint, Wales – Closed 27th May
Hitchin, North Hertfordshire – Closed on 10 June
Beccles, Suffolk – Closed 17th June
Swansea, Wales – Closes 29th July
Cowdenbeath, Fife – Closes 12th August
Llanelli, South Wales – Closes 2nd September
Crewe, Cheshire – Closes 16th September
Birkenhead, Merseyside – Closes 26th September