Iceland Foods is to ramp up the expansion of its overseas, convenience and wholesale partnerships after a year of “record growth” for its international division.
Earlier this year, Iceland rebranded and relaunched its international arm – which is called Iceland Foods International & Partnership Division – ahead of a major push into new regions globally.
In an end-of-year update, Justin Addison, Iceland Foods international and partnerships director, who leads the division, hailed the move as “transformative” and said the retailer would expand its efforts further in 2025.
It would include new rapid delivery services, as well as new international partnerships, Addison said.
Iceland international achieved “record sales” in 2024, the supermarket claimed. However, it did not clarify an exact figure or a time period to which the growth related.
Among the “key milestones” highlighted were the expansion of its supply partnership with Irish retailer Dunnes in October, to add standalone concessions in two stores in Dublin. In Noveber, Iceland expanded to the Channel Islands for the first time, with the launch of a new strategic partnership with Alliance Stores.
That was followed, last week, with the launch of a new joint venture with investment firm Skel to sell products across Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
Other “milestones” include a new rapid delivery partnership with Deliveroo, which launched in September. The ondemand service – which includes 3,000 Iceland products – adds to Iceland’s existing delivery partnerships with Just Eat, Uber Eats and Amazon.
Iceland had also expanded its convenience offer, following a restructure of its c-store network in April 2023. It now supplies Iceland Local formats in 10 petrol stations, and three standalone locations. The franchise format replaced Iceland’s standalone Swift convenience format, which closed down in July 2023.
“Our mission has always been to make high-quality, affordable food accessible to as many people as possible, and the success of our team this year reflects that commitment,” Addison said.
“2024 has been a transformative year for Iceland Foods International & Partnership division, as we’ve continued to innovate and expand through strategic partnerships and new ventures.”
It follows a change of Iceland’s fortunes on the home front. Iceland returned to profit in August following extensive cost cutting, which had helped it gain control of its soaring energy costs.
The retailer enjoyed “record sales” and “record market share growth” at times last year, as a result of the measures, which saw pre-tax profits grow to £15.6m, from a £16.2m loss.
Iceland aims to double its network of Food Warehouse stores, as part of a long-term expansion plan revealed by The Grocer in July 2024.
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