Iceland set to close Swift c-stores

Iceland is set to close its Swift convenience stores as it begins the rollout of Iceland-branded ‘Local’ sites.

The move will see four stores permanently closed, while one is to be converted into a standard Iceland store, reports stated. Staff working at the Swift sites in Finsbury Park, Archway, Wembley, Hounslow and Four Lanes End in Newcastle will be offered a transfer to the retailer’s close-by store and provided with the same working hours.

The Swift format was first launched in Newcastle in March 2021. The other Swift stores are all in London with the last of the five stores opened in Finsbury Park in August 2022. Swift was designed to be a convenience format covering grocery, frozen food, fresh and food-to-go.

An Iceland statement said: “We are continually reviewing and developing our retail portfolio to ensure we are delivering on value and convenience in the communities we serve. We won’t be progressing our Swift fascia, but our Iceland, Food Warehouse and Iceland Local brands continue to go from strength to strength with new store openings across the UK.

“In London, where we experimented with the Swift format, we are experiencing strong growth, investing £3m over the next 12 months in modernising our existing estate and opening new stores.”

The frozen food retailer opened its first Iceland Local convenience store on a Texaco garage forecourt in Fallings Park, Wolverhampton on March 31, which is owned and operated by SGN Retail. The store features ambient, chilled and frozen aisles and offers own-label products, as well as items from partnered brands Slimming World, Myprotein and Harry Ramsden’s.