Iceland announces closure of Bristol store - date revealed

Iceland has announced the closure of its shop in a declining shopping centre in Bristol. The company says the store in St Catherine’s Place in Bedminster will shut to customers this Saturday (February 25), Bristol World can reveal.

The news is yet another blow for the shopping centre with Farm Foods the only other shop still open. Local traders remember the centre being busy - but today most of the units are empty and boarded up.

There are, however, plans afoot to redevelop the site. A company called Firmstone won approval in 2021 to regenerate the centre with three apartment blocks - 14-storey, seven-storey and five-storey high - providing up to 180 homes. The plans also include ‘revamping’ the central retail part of the centre.

In a supporting document attached to the planning application approved by Bristol City Council, it said: “Ongoing marketing of the retail units will hopefully draw in new retail business attracted by the increased population and improving environment.”

But the centre will no longer have an Iceland store. In a statement issued to Bristol World today, Iceland said: “We continually review our Iceland Foods and The Food Warehouse store portfolio to ensure we’re delivering the best experiences for our customers across the country.

“Customers can find their closest alternative stores here, and we want to thank all that have chosen Iceland for their weekly shops and daily essentials over the years.”

The nearest Iceland store is on Winterstoke Road at Ashton Gate. The Bedminster store is one of five being closed by Iceland over the next few weeks across the country.

Under the planning approval issued by Bristol City Council, Firmstone must start work on the St Catherine’s Place project by October 2024. Its plans were supported by the Bedminster BID, along with other businesses on East Street who said the centre’s decline was impacting trade.

However, there was also strong opposition over the lack of affordable housing - there will be none. Some people were also unhappy about the height of the building and size of the ‘pocket park’ included in the site plan.

Most of the 180 homes, which are almost all one and two-bedroom flats, will be concentrated in the 14-storey tower block at the corner of Dalby Avenue and Stafford Street. The rest, 59, will be spread between the seven-storey high-rise at the bend of Dalby Avenue and the five-storey block on East Street, which will have two shops on the ground floor.