Iceland Mat, the Norwegian arm of frozen foods retailer Iceland, is continuing its expansion in Norway with the announcement that it plans to open a new store at the Sørlandsparken retail park in Kristiansand.
The retailer announced on its social media pages that it plans to open the new store by Christmas.
It will be the sixth Iceland outlet to open in Norway since it entered the country in 2018, with stores already in operation in Asker, Bekkestua and at the Stovner Senter and St Hanshaugen in the capital, Oslo.
A previously-opened store in Larvik was recently forced to close.
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Store Opening Strategy
Iceland had hoped to have seven to ten stores in operation in Norway prior to the pandemic, but chief executive Geir Olav Opheim told Nettavisen in July that it has been difficult to find locations, citing competition from larger operators.
"We have encountered several cases where there is a vacant space that has been empty for a long period, but where Coop or Norgesgruppen has prevented it from being rented out to another grocery player," he told the paper.
"This is because clauses have been negotiated in the lease agreements between a grocery player and owners of shopping centres or larger properties that ensure the exclusive right to run a grocery store."
New Warehouse In Larvik
Last year, the business reported sales growth of 80%, year-on-year, and anticipates 'significant growth in the years ahead', prompting it to recently announce the opening of a new rented warehouse facility at Verningen in Larvik.
The new warehouse will also house Iceland's online retail offering, which is currently under development, as is a Click & Collect structure.
Following a recent capital investment, Iceland Mat is confident of opening between two and ten new stores every year going forward.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. For more Retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
