Iceland has announced the closure of its Beccles branch ten years after it first opened.

When opened in 2013 the Beccles branch on Newgate was the frozen food retailer's 800th store on the high street across the country.

At the time of the Beccles store opening Iceland founder Malcolm Walker said the Beccles store was an "interesting example" of the company's expansion strategy.

Beccles & Bungay Journal: Iceland founder Malcolm WalkerIceland founder Malcolm Walker (Image: Newsquest)

But now ten years later the company has announced the store will officially close on June 17.

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An Iceland spokesperson said: "We can confirm the Beccles store will close on June 17 

“Across Iceland Foods and The Food Warehouse we have a portfolio of over 1,000 stores, so continually review the retail experience offered to our customers.

"While this means we make a small number of closures every year, we are proud to have opened significantly more new stores and business is trading strongly.

"Customers can find their closest Iceland and Food Warehouse stores at www.iceland.co.uk/store-finder, and we want to thank all that have chosen Iceland for their weekly shops and daily essentials over the years.”

Beccles & Bungay Journal: Fat Face, Holland & Barrett and Angling Direct are next door to the Beccles Iceland store, with Tesco and Costa oppositeFat Face, Holland & Barrett and Angling Direct are next door to the Beccles Iceland store, with Tesco and Costa opposite (Image: Bruno Brown)

At the time of the store's opening in 2013 Mr Walker said: “At a time when certain individuals are pontificating on the grim future of the high street, perhaps reflecting their own track record of failure in this arena, it is worth pointing out that the majority of our new store openings are in high street locations, and are generating good sales and returns on our investment.

“Beccles is an interesting example of our expansion strategy, taking us into a town where we have not been represented before.

“This demonstrates our ability to appeal to new customers in areas well beyond Iceland’s traditional heartlands, and to meet the strongest competition head-on.”

Beccles & Bungay Journal: Laura Ashley has now closed down and the building is unoccupied by any operating businessLaura Ashley has now closed down and the building is unoccupied by any operating business (Image: Bruno Brown)