Iceland Foods has acquired all of the Iceland stores in the Republic of Ireland.
Previously operated by its franchisee AIM Group, the seven stores have been acquired for an undisclosed sum.
All staff working at the affected branches have been offered the opportunity to transfer to Iceland Foods.
Iceland Foods chief executive, Malcolm Walker, said: “We see great opportunities for growth in Ireland and taking direct control of these stores will help us to ensure that we offer the best value and the highest standards of service to our valued Irish customers. It will also help us to accelerate the expansion of the business, creating new Irish jobs, more opportunities for Irish suppliers and making our unique branded products available to more people throughout the country.
“Iceland has operated its own stores in the Republic in the past, but we withdrew because we urgently needed to simplify the severely troubled business to which I and my colleagues returned in 2005. We are grateful to Naeem Maniar and his team at AIM Group for their good work in maintaining our brand in the Republic since they took on the franchise in 2009. Now is the right time for us to return, as part of our international growth strategy that aims to make Iceland the world’s number one frozen food brand.”
The seven Iceland stores in the Republic of Ireland are located at Ballyfermot, Finglas, Navan Road, Ilac Centre, Coolock, Clonmel and Carlow.
