Iceland Selling Co-op Own-Label Products

Namnews, 23rd March 2022

It has been revealed that Iceland’s new ‘Swift’ convenience stores are being supplied with products by Nisa, including Co-op own-label lines.

A year on from launching a pilot outlet in Newcastle, Iceland opened its second Swift store in London last week. The stores are described as offering a convenience store layout, with an enhanced range of chilled food and ambient grocery, and a condensed frozen range.

According to trade magazine The Grocer, Iceland had secured a supply agreement with Bestway and its Costcutter division for the format, but the deal is currently being serviced by Co-op-owned Nisa. This includes supplying Swift with the ambient and chilled food lines, including branded products and Co-op own label. The Co-op lines include ready meals, pizzas, and food-to-go.

The report stated that the Nisa-sourced lines are supplementing Iceland’s own predominantly frozen range to ensure Swift can offer a full convenience range.

A spokesperson for Iceland quoted by The Grocer confirmed the sourcing arrangement, adding: “We continue to review our product offering and supplier base as part of the trial.”

A Nisa spokesperson commented: “We are currently operating a trial with Swift in a small number of stores, which will give shoppers access to the Co-op own-label range. Nisa often conduct trials as part of new business development, which helps us to continually improve the proposition for partners and customers alike.”

Iceland is said to have plans to open another three Swift stores in London over the coming months.

After Iceland opened the doors to its first convenience store last year, analysis showed that hundreds of sites in its estate would be suitable for conversion to the new format.

Recent reports have suggested that the traditional Iceland format is no longer a focus in the company’s expansion plans. The retailer stated last year that its The Food Warehouse format was outperforming the Iceland stores with plans to ramp up their rollout in retail parks.