Iceland Foods’ customers in Northern Ireland can now order the supermarket’s groceries via Amazon for the first time, after the latest expansion of the partnership between the supermarket and web giant.
Alongside the launch in Belfast, the service has also now been expanded to Cardiff, Edinburgh and Nottingham, meaning the partnership is now “nationwide” for the first time.
Following a slow start to the rollout, which began in 2023, last year Iceland set the ambition of rolling the service out across its entire estate by the end of the current financial year in March.
Amazon is also expanding its grocery partnerships – which include Morrisons, Booths and Co-op – as it switches its UK grocery offer purely to delivery, after closing all 19 of its UK Amazon Fresh stores late last year. Five of the stores were converted to Whole Foods Market stores, while Tesco has been snapping up some of the vacant sites as part of its own convenience expansion.
More than 80% of Amazon UK Prime members now have access to at least one grocery partner via the platform, Amazon claimed. It is “on track” to more than double the number of Amazon UK Prime members who have access to three or more of its online delivery options by the end of 2026.
“We’re continually working to give customers more choice, value, and flexibility in how they shop for groceries,” said Russell Jones, Amazon grocery partnerships director.
“More customers across the UK can now choose from a wide range of Iceland groceries and household essentials, with a range of convenient, fast delivery options,” Jones added.
Despite Iceland CEO Tarsem Dhaliwal once declaring that the supermarket “doesn’t want anything to do” with Amazon, the frozen grocer has put its full weight behind the tie-up as a way of bringing new shoppers to Iceland and Food Warehouse stores. Hundreds of its frozen, fresh and ambient lines are now listed for order on Amazon’s website for same or next-day delivery.
Iceland has previously claimed around 90% of orders placed via Amazon are incremental to its own online channels, which include its same-day delivery slots.
Iceland’s unique Amazon delivery model
The supermarket first began trialling Amazon orders in select parts of Greater Manchester in 2023.
However, the rollout was delayed after difficulties integrating the model – whereby orders placed via Amazon were collected by Amazon couriers from stores – alongside Iceland’s existing delivery slots. Store managers also had difficulties in ensuring Amazon orders complied with cold chain rules, The Grocer understands.
As a solution, Iceland launched a new “world first” merchant-fulfilled model in Newcastle in November 2024, whereby orders placed via the Amazon website are picked and delivered by Iceland staff as part of its own delivery rounds, and has been rolling this model out further.
“This extension of our partnership with Amazon means we can serve even more communities nationwide with Iceland’s quality products, all with the convenience of Amazon’s shopping experience,” Dhaliwal said of the latest expansion.
“For Northern Ireland in particular, we’re proud to be the first grocery partner to offer a service like this through Amazon’s platform,” Dhaliwal said.
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