To never shop at Iceland again

[Lentillover1900]

Brilliant for picking up weird ice cream treats for the children in summer that no where else stocks and my children love the hot dog stuffed pizza crusts for Friday pizza night but I have just read this, and my poor children will be forever deprived of the most revolting looking pizza on the planet ....

To summarise. Iceland increased sales by 20% to £2.9 billion (not a typo) over lockdown. However they are the only big supermarket chain not returning the £40 million tax relief they received. So essentially we have given £40 million at a time when they are taking in money like never before.

Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Aldi, Lidl - are ALL returning

I don't understand why supermarkets were given money in the first place when they were never required to close. I can understand why places like clothes shops etc were given it to keep them going until they were allowed to reopen and hopefully start turning a profit again, but why supermarkets when Covid would have had no effect on people's need to buy food, or in fact increased sales due to more people having lunch at home instead of at work or school?

It's tricky though as the government obviously decided they were entitled to it.

I bet you do

I thought the money was to help them become COVID secure as they couldn't close? So PPE purchase etc.

I think the government panicked and threw money in all directions to manage the pandemic. Clearly didn't think it through and put in caveats about returning if not needed.

As you are (presumably) an adult, you can shop where you like for whatever reasons you like. Why would that be unreasonable?

@TheFairyCaravan

I bet you do

Me too laugh

They usually have a good morale compass , I'm still going to shop there . I would hate to see more people out of a job.

It was via business relief rates. Tesco paid most of it to shareholders, it was after much criticism and questions by MPs etc that they made the decision to pay it back.

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.thegrocer.co.uk/supermarkets/coronavirus-business-rates-relief-which-supermarkets-are-handing-it-back/651120.article&ved=2ahUKEwiP4rqnttDvAhUeURUIHRIbDOgQFjACegQIChAC&usg=AOvVaw1HC7Uhf_aj9bZ3VhZLXsBy&cshid=1616846617334" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.thegrocer.co.uk/supermarkets/coronavirus-business-rates-relief-which-supermarkets-are-handing-it-back/651120.article&ved=2ahUKEwiP4rqnttDvAhUeURUIHRIbDOgQFjACegQIChAC&usg=AOvVaw1HC7Uhf_aj9bZ3VhZLXsBy&cshid=1616846617334

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.thetimes.co.uk/article/iceland-boss-richard-walker-defends-refusal-to-pay-back-business-rates-relief-bmsd9kfj8&ved=2ahUKEwin2eOVt9DvAhVSu3EKHZZ-BR0QFjACegQIChAC&usg=AOvVaw3CpYJ1VjRAl37pRx8QEZYl" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.thetimes.co.uk/article/iceland-boss-richard-walker-defends-refusal-to-pay-back-business-rates-relief-bmsd9kfj8&ved=2ahUKEwin2eOVt9DvAhVSu3EKHZZ-BR0QFjACegQIChAC&usg=AOvVaw3CpYJ1VjRAl37pRx8QEZYl

Iceland was the only supermarket were I could get deliveries from, even though I was on the shielding list. They've done good initiatives such as banning palm oil and more recyclable packaging, I wouldn't boycott them.

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=amp.theguardian.com/business/2020/dec/03/sainsburys-hands-back-440m-in-covid-business-rates-relief&ved=2ahUKEwiP4rqnttDvAhUeURUIHRIbDOgQFjAEegQIEBAC&usg=AOvVaw3COkVCKOWI9wAAa1KVw2vd&ampcf=1&cshid=1616846617334" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=amp.theguardian.com/business/2020/dec/03/sainsburys-hands-back-440m-in-covid-business-rates-relief&ved=2ahUKEwiP4rqnttDvAhUeURUIHRIbDOgQFjAEegQIEBAC&usg=AOvVaw3COkVCKOWI9wAAa1KVw2vd&ampcf=1&cshid=1616846617334

None of them, including B&M acted well. The paying back is after a lot of pressure. I doubt people would ever boycott B&M.

Greed.

No supermarkets should have been given any relief - they have made massive profits since they had a captive market. They could sell clothes and shoes, household goods, garden items, etc etc whilst the small shops/clothes shops/large number of retailers had to shut..... unfair trading conditions so personally I would tax their inflated profits and give back to society.

I read a while ago they had a very large debt.

I love that you've gone old skool op rather than posting a link

Like them or loathe them they do treat their staff well..... So will be interesting to see what this is about.

They took advantage of something available just like many do with the tax system or with benefits. Boycotting one that did it and no one else seems pointless.

@canigooutyet

I love that you've gone old skool op rather than posting a link

Unfortunately you can’t post times links as it’s paying members only

I will stay loyal to them, they were the only company that I could rely on last year.

As an aside, William Hill have paid all the furlough money back for the first two lockdowns - their betting shops have been closed but I guess they have done VERY well on online gambling.

I can't read your article but as everyone is entitled to shop wherever they like for whatever reason they like how could you be unreasonable?

Wouldn't it be better to start a discussion on iceland's choices rather then your shopping preferences?

I think Iceland has the best supermarket pizzas.

There may be some rule that the tastiness of supermarket pizzas is inversely proportional to how expensive the shop is perceived to be. I find Iceland has even better pizzas than Asda, my previous champion, and the worst pizzas of all come from my local supermarket, Waitrose. A fresh Waitrose pizza tastes like cardboard, not even ordinary cardboad, low-calorie low-salt cardboard.

(Having said that, M&S defies my theory. M&S everything is in fact batter than the equivalent from anywhere else.)

They regularly get good employer plaudits.
That attracts my money.

Waitrose hasn't handed the money back either 💸💰. So it comes from all angles!

@GoWalkabout

As an aside, William Hill have paid all the furlough money back for the first two lockdowns - their betting shops have been closed but I guess they have done VERY well on online gambling.

I wonder how many lives have been ruined since lockdown started through gambling starting off as the only bit of excitement for some people and ending in addiction.

Anyway, I'll keep shopping at Iceland. Seeing some of the random shit they sell is an experience if nothing else. Yesterday I spotted 'scarily spicy' pigs in blankets there

You changed your mind fast op

They were entitled to claim it. They had to spend more to become covid secure. They're quite a decent company I think in the grand scheme of things. We'll all have to pay it back so I don't begrudge businesses getting the help while they can.