It is full speed ahead for the opening of the second Food Warehouse supermarket, owned by the Iceland Foods Group, in Ipswich.

Ipswich Star: The Food Warehouse, part of the Iceland Foods Group, opens at the Suffolk Retail Park on August 27, 2019. It is the second Food Warehouse in Ipswich and occupies the formerr Dunelm store. Picture: DAVID VINCENTThe Food Warehouse, part of the Iceland Foods Group, opens at the Suffolk Retail Park on August 27, 2019. It is the second Food Warehouse in Ipswich and occupies the formerr Dunelm store. Picture: DAVID VINCENT (Image: Archant)

There was great excitement from shoppers when the first Food Warehouse supermarket for the town opened last week at the Euro Retail Park in east Ipswich.

The 8,694 sq ft store was launched on July 30 after a £750,000 investment by Iceland, creating 30 new jobs.

Formed five years ago, The Food Warehouse now has 100 stores across the UK offering supermarket services and bulk buys, without a membership scheme as required at a Cash and Carry.

This second Ipswich store, which is larger, is being prepared and fitted out at Suffolk Retail Park, off London Road/Yarmouth Road and is closer to the centre of town.

Ipswich Star: The Home Bargains store at Suffolk Retail Park, Ipswich opens to the public on Saturday August 10. Picture: DAVID VINCENTThe Home Bargains store at Suffolk Retail Park, Ipswich opens to the public on Saturday August 10. Picture: DAVID VINCENT (Image: Archant)

It is in the unit previously occupied by Dunelm soft furnishings and will be next door to a new Home Bargains.

The store is set to open to the public on Tuesday August 27, at 9am.

It will be a retail store and also the centre for home delivery online retail for the area, bringing around 45 new jobs.

Some staff are already in training for their roles at the first store to open across Ipswich at the Euro Retail Park

Ipswich Star: Customers were eager to take a look at the Food Warehouse when it opened at Euro Retail Park, Ipswich.. Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWNCustomers were eager to take a look at the Food Warehouse when it opened at Euro Retail Park, Ipswich.. Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN (Image: Archant)

Town centre shopping may be struggling, but the appetite for opening retail warehouses in Suffolk shows no sign of diminishing

The Suffolk Retail Park site was once home to the town's greyhound stadium and a ten pin bowling centre. Now it has become a retail destination.

Also here are The Range, Argos, Next and Halfords.

Although it has plenty of car parking, it only has a single entrance/exit road and is close to a busy junction between London Road and Handford Road, which is controlled by traffic lights.

This new Food Warehouse is next door to another national chain opening here on Saturday, Liverpool-based discount store Home Bargains.

Home Bargains was launched in 1976 by businessman Tom Morris and it now has more than 500 sites, including a purpose-built retail warehouse nearby in Suffolk at Martlesham Retail Park.

It is now a multi- million turnover business selling a range of home and garden items, from homeware to sports and leisure, toys and games to food and fragrances.