Iceland is a British supermarket chain operating in the UK and Ireland, headquartered in Deeside, Wales, with more than 800 stores. Its main product line is frozen food, which includes prepared meals and vegetables. The company has an approximately 1.8% share of the UK food market.
Iceland opened in 1970, when Malcolm Walker and his trading partner Peter Hinchcliffe opened their first store on Oswestry Leg Street, Shropshire, England, for £60 a month. At first, the specialty store specialized in frozen food.
In 1993, Iceland took over the Littlewoods department store and acquired the French Au Gel supermarket chain. The company operates in Ireland through franchisee AIM Group. Currently, the company has eight stores in Ireland. In May 2000, the company merged with Booker plc.
