Frozen food war heats up after new Black Country property deal

FROZEN food firm Iceland has selected the Black Country as the base for a new experiment in its retail operation.

The company has taken a lease on a commercial unit at a trading estate in Tipton which will be the location of its first ‘dark store’.

The 18,000 sq ft unit, at the Link One Trading Estate in Great Bridge, will be used as a warehouse for online order fulfilment. It will not be open to the public.

Property firm Harris Lamb agreed the lease, which is the final unit on the site.

Tom Morley, who oversaw the deal on behalf of Harris Lamb, said: “This is a great brand to join the existing companies located at Link One.

“The estate is well managed, and the units have all been refurbished to a high specification, making them very appealing given the current shortage of high quality industrial stock in the region.

“The real appeal for Iceland, though, was the estate’s prime strategic position, which makes it an ideal location for its first dark store venture. The store won’t be open to the public, but the site’s excellent access links make it perfect for fulfiilling online orders.”

He said the deal had been completed as Iceland was looking to in situ as soon as possible.

“The unit was placed under offer in May, with the deal completing within six weeks,” he added.

The dark store is expected to be operational from next month.