Frozen food from Iceland could be on sale at the Anglia Retail Park off Ipswich’s Bury Road in the future after the food retailer announced a new link-up with discount retailer The Range.
The company, which has a busy store in Sailmakers next to the Tower Ramparts bus station, is to start selling its food in some branches of The Range.
At present this is concentrated in the Midlands and Liverpool areas – but in a joint statement both companies have said they are looking at rolling out the concept in other parts of the country.
The Range store on the Anglia Retail Park opened last summer and is one of the biggest stores there, selling thousands of household goods at discount prices.
The park is now owned by the council through its Ipswich Borough Assets investment arm – but any introduction of a large food area in The Range store could require a change to planning permission.
There is a requirement that goods sold at the park should be mainly bulky – with only a small proportion of “non-bulky” products sold.
However Ipswich Council portfolio holder for planning Carole Jones said every application would be considered on its own merit. She said officials were aware of the new “strategic alliance” between the retailers.
After the tie-up between the companies was announced Iceland founder and executive chairman Sir Malcolm Walker said: “The ethos of The Range is absolutely identical to Iceland’s, so I feel that we make natural partners in this new alliance.
“We look forward to working with (Range founder) Chris Dawson and his team to make our unique food range available to more customers in a new type of location, where we hope that we can extend our appeal by reaching people who have not shopped at
Iceland before.”
Mr Dawson added: “This Alliance is so exciting. The Range’s massive non-food offering under the same roof as Iceland’s unique food offering will provide customers with a ‘one stop shop’. I think our customers will be surprised and delighted to view the extent and quality of Iceland’s food range.”
Anglia Retail Park has been transformed over the last year with the arrival of The Range, Go Outdoors, B&M and the Bounce/Billy Beez activity centre. Dunelm is due to move to a new unit being created at the park later this year.
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