Affordable retailer with 800 branches that has to close its store after a series of closures
A MAJOR bargain retailer has confirmed it will close one of its branches for good within weeks, joining a series of store closures.
A month into the year, Iceland has announced yet another store closure, leaving customers wondering, “What now?”
Iceland will close its Speke branch in Liverpool on March 2, much to the dismay of customers.
Shoppers should now head to The Food Warehouse in Speke or surrounding stores in Halewood, Garston and Belle Vale for their frozen food needs.
Local residents shared their disappointment at the news on Facebook.
One user said: “First Klopp, now Iceland, what next?”
Another said: “This is how it starts.”
“Bad news,” said someone else.
An Icelandic spokesperson said: “We can confirm that the Icelandic store at The Speke Center will close on Saturday 2 March.
“The Food Warehouse in Speke and our surrounding stores in Halewood, Garston and Belle Vale will continue to operate as normal.”
The supermarket announced several closures last year and more will follow this year.
Iceland shuttered its store in the Rosemary Centre, Mansfield, in January.
Iceland has also announced it will close its store in Southampton in March.
The supermarket, located on Portswood Road, will close for the final time on Saturday, March 2.
It's not all bad news though: Iceland opens more than 20 new stores every year, while 24 new stores opened in the past year.
Several other retailers have struggled to make ends meet in recent years.
Energy costs have risen and more consumers than ever are choosing to order online instead of going to the store.
This leaves some retailers struggling with budgets and having no choice but to close stores to cut costs.
Struggling fashion brand Superdry has said it is exploring various “cost-saving options” as it considers a major restructuring including store closures and job cuts.
Homebase closed a store last year, leaving just 93 stores since its acquisition by Hilco Capital in 2018.
Competitor Poundstretcher closed several stores last year, but also opened new stores in closed Wilko stores.
Boots revealed it would close 300 stores over the next year as part of plans to develop its brand.
Banks have also announced the closure of several branches.
Barclays will begin pulling down the shutters at fourteen locations in England, three in Wales and three in Scotland from April.
Even thrift stores are having a hard time Oxfam confirmed last year that it would close eight of its UK stores.
Most supermarket retailers appeared to have weathered the storm, with some even announcing new store openings.
Asda opened 21 new locations last month and aims to convert all 470 stores acquired from the Co-op and EG Group into Asda Express stores in a £438 million deal.
Marks and Spencer opened 15 new stores last year and plans to open a further three in the spring of this year.
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