Iceland

The Iceland Story

Though sometimes confused with a small country of Viking origins on the fringes of the Arctic Circle, the real Iceland is a unique British food retailing business with over 660 stores throughout the UK. 

Iceland sprang to life when Malcolm Walker and another young retailer decided to open a shop in order to make their fortunes.  They raised the capital of just £60 to pay one month's rent and opened the first Iceland store in Shropshire in November 1970.  The business really took off when the two founders were fired from their day jobs and could devote more time to developing the Iceland concept.  By 1975 there were 15 Iceland stores in North Wales and the North West of England. 

Expanding through new store openings and the acquisition of smaller chains, Iceland had 81 stores by 1984, when it became a public company through one of the most successful flotations ever seen on the London Stock Exchange.  The initial public offer of just £8 million worth of shares was 113 times oversubscribed.

By 1995 Iceland had over 752 stores and had clocked up an impressive 25 years of consistent profit growth.  Under the leadership of founder Malcolm Walker, the company staged a massive programme of innovation.  This included the introduction of a still unique, FREE national home delivery service, and the development of a wide range of products. 

The Iceland success story continued into 2007.  Innovation across all of it's Own Label Frozen ranges has driven sales, and coupled with firm control of costs, the company is in as strong financial position as it has ever been.  Recent results from a staff survey and the mystery shop programme have highlighted that the company is now a place where its managers feel valued and there is a real passion to make it even better.

All 682 of the company's Store Managers were taken to Disneyland, Paris for 2 days in October 2008 for the annual conference.  During tough financial times, when everyone's watching what they spend, Iceland continue to provide customers with great everyday value. 

Let's wait and see what the next installment of this amazing story brings!

At Iceland, you'll find a hard-working, no-nonsense, straightforward culture. Wherever you work within our exciting, fast-paced business - whether in one of our stores or behind the scenes at our Head Office - you'll see that everyone plays their part in our continuing success.

Our business is built on speed, energy and enthusiasm. By keeping our ideas simple, we ensure we deliver what our customers really want.

And when it comes to equality, whether you're a customer or one of the team, you'll never be treated less favourably than anyone else. Of course you could be both a customer AND be part of our team, because our stores are often at the heart of local towns, which  means both our customers and store team know exactly what excellent  customer service looks like. They see it every day!

We know that everyone who joins us brings their own unique ideas and experience - whether they're a retired person or have just left school - whatever their age or background, we value their contribution to our business.

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