Iceland is overhauling its corporate image with an £8m rebranding programme. The new corporate logo ­ Iceland.co.uk ­ has been designed to underline Iceland's "clicks and mortar" links. Chairman Malcolm Walker said: "Until now, no supermarket has had the guts to merge the two forms of business and market them together. Yet again Iceland is taking the lead, renaming its stores Iceland.co.uk. "This underpins our aim to be the most accessible food retailer with a range of complementary services to suit our customers' busy lifestyles." All 760 stores will be rebranded with the new fascia within 18 months. The group's 450 lorries and 1,000 delivery vans will also be revamped. The first store with the new fascia opened this week at the Fulham branch in London. Iceland this week reported pretax profits up by 18.5% on last year to £65.3m. Walker said Iceland's commitment to broadening its public appeal was significant in driving growth ­ a 6% increase in sales has already been recorded for this year. And he said: "Iceland's responsible approach to food retailing, combined with the expansion of home shopping and new concepts, will extend our appeal still further." Evidence of Iceland's commitment to the internet surfaced two weeks ago when the multiple launched the industry's first tv internet advertising campaign. The group has also signed a deal with Cable & Wireless and Telewest network companies to develop interactive web sites on both channels. Iceland has appointed Andrew Morris to oversee the home shopping operations. Plans for 2000 also include 50 further conversions to Iceland Extra stores ­ bringing the total to 78 ­ and an organics initiative to extend its product range. From June Iceland will change its trading name from Iceland Frozen Foods to Iceland Foods. {{NEWS }}

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