Spar has announced a move to strengthen its frozen food category through a nationwide partnership with Iceland Foods.
The “strategic” move is designed to significantly enhance the appeal of frozen food sections in Spr’s convenience stores by adding depth to the range.
Iceland-exclusive brands such as Slimming World, Harry Ramsden’s, TGI Friday’s and Myprotein will soon be available in Spar stores alongside Iceland own label products - and Gregg’s.
Three of Spar UK’s wholesalers and distributors are behind the collaboration - CJ Lang & Son Ltd (covering Scotland), James Hall & Co. Ltd (North of England), and A.F. Blakemore & Son Ltd (the South East, Midlands and Wales).
At present, 320 Spar stores across England, Scotland and Wales now stock hundreds of Iceland’s popular and affordable frozen products, with the potential for the number of stores to increase to almost 2,000 over the coming months.
The move “combines Iceland’s frozen food expertise with Spar’s excellent local community store network,” the pair said in a release.
A strong frozen food range will dovetail in-store with categories that Spar’s known for, including fresh and food to go lines and traditional convenience categories including ambient products and beers, wines and spirits.
Justin Addison, director of Iceland international and UK partnerships at Iceland Foods, said: “This expansion is a key part of our mission to make Iceland products more accessible to customers wherever they shop.
“Partnering with CJ Lang, James Hall, and A.F. Blakemore to expand the offering of Iceland’s frozen food range in Spar stores across the UK allows us to bring our value and quality to local communities in a way that’s fast, flexible and customer focused.”
CJ Antal-Smith, chief commercial officer at A.F. Blakemore & Son Ltd, added: “Working with my colleagues at James Hall and CJ Lang, we’re always looking at ways to strengthen our offer for both retailers and customers, and this partnership with Iceland is a significant step forward for our frozen category.”
Andrew Hall, chairman and CEO at James Hall & Co. Ltd, said: “We’ve been trialling Iceland-branded frozen food sections in 50 of our company-owned Spar stores and the performance has been promising, with our customers seeking out the breadth of products within Iceland’s range. The roll out will continue into more company-owned stores.
“We also invited Iceland to our recent Spar Forward tradeshow to open the offer to our independent retailers. There was huge enthusiasm in the room for the brand, and we anticipate a strong take up of Iceland’s offer with independents.”
Finally, Colin McLean, CEO at CJ Lang & Son Ltd, said: “We’re delighted to bring Iceland’s trusted frozen food range exclusively to Spar Scotland stores, giving our customers even greater choice, quality and value in their local communities.
“This partnership combines the convenience and reach of Spar Scotland with the strength of Iceland’s much-loved frozen products, making it easier than ever for shoppers to access family favourites closer to home.”
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