Iceland has secured a new convenience partnership with three Spar wholesalers as it looks to enhance their frozen food offer.
AF Blakemore, James Hall, and CJ Lang are behind the collaboration, with the ambition to bring the range to almost 2,000 stores over the coming months.
There are 320 Spar stores across England, Scotland, and Wales already stocking Iceland’s range, spanning its exclusive brands such as Slimming World, Harry Ramsden’s, TGI Fridays, and Myprotein, alongside Greggs and its own-label products.
The businesses said the partnership would offer an improved choice of quality meal solutions and better value to budget-conscious families. The range will be supported with Spar’s traditional convenience categories, including ambient products and beers, wines, and spirits, as well as fresh and food to go.
“This expansion is a key part of our mission to make Iceland products more accessible to customers wherever they shop,” said Iceland Foods director of Iceland International & UK partnerships Justin Addison.
“Partnering with CJ Lang, James Hall, and AF Blakemore to expand the offering of Iceland’s frozen food range in Spar stores across the UK allows us to bring our value and quality to local communities in a way that’s fast, flexible and customer-focused.”
CJ Antal-Smith, chief commercial officer at AF Blakemore, said: “Working with my colleagues at James Hall and CJ Lang, we are always looking at ways to strengthen our offer for both retailers and customers, and this partnership with Iceland is a significant step forward for our frozen category.
“We know shoppers want quality, value and convenience without compromise, and this partnership delivers exactly that.”
James Hall chairman and CEO Andrew Hall said: “We have been trialling Iceland branded frozen food sections in 50 of our company-owned Spar stores and the performance has been promising, with our customers seeking out the breadth of products within Iceland’s range. The rollout will now continue into more company-owned Spar stores.
“We also invited Iceland to our recent Spar Forward trade show to open the offer to our Spar independent retailers. There was huge enthusiasm in the room for the brand, and we anticipate a strong take-up of Iceland’s offer with independents, which will accelerate availability in our Spar North of England region.”
CJ Lang CEO Colin McLean said: “We are delighted to bring Iceland’s trusted frozen food range exclusively to Spar Scotland stores, giving our customers even greater choice, quality and value in their local communities.
“This partnership combines the convenience and reach of Spar Scotland with the strength of Iceland’s much-loved frozen products, making it easier than ever for shoppers to access family favourites closer to home.”
Iceland also supplies independent retailers through Costcutter and Nisa, including Paul Cheema’s Costcutter store in Coventry and Greens Retail in Scotland.
The Spar network consists of five wholesalers across the UK. The other two are Henderson Group in Northern Ireland and Appleby Westward in the south west. It was announced earlier this week that AF Blakemore had agreed to acquire Spar from Appleby Westward following almost a year of speculation about a deal.
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