Iceland has dropped its iconic slogan after more than 50 years, and has finally admitted that it’s “not just for mums”.
We all know that “that’s why mums go to Iceland” is one of the most famous slogans in British retail history… but, as of last week, more than 50 years since it was first uttered on TV, Iceland has decided to say farewell to the iconic phrase.
The headline-grabbing move is thought to be the supermarket‘s bid to become more inclusive, as it has cited the decades-old tagline as “outdated”.
Iceland’s first use of ‘mum’ in its’ marketing campaigns was all the way back in 1970 with the phrase “Mums love it”, before it was slightly changed to “Mum’s gone to Iceland” in 1988 ahead of its expansion into Europe in 1991.
Iceland has dropped its iconic slogan after more than 50 years / Credit: Iceland Foods
Then finally, in 2004, the frozen food retailer introduced its now most-iconic strapline, “So that’s why mums go to Iceland”, to coincide with introducing celebrity pop star Kerry Katona as the new face of its TV advertisements.
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But now, as part of its latest advertising campaign, the world ‘mum’ has been dropped once and for all in favour of the altered tagline “That’s why we go to Iceland.
Explaining its decision to part way with its use of ‘mums’, Iceland’s Executive Chairman Richard Walker commented: “Iceland’s always been number one with mums, but the reality is, people from all walks of life, and life stage, choose to shop with us. That includes everyone from students and seniors, to single-parent families, mums, dads, and fitness enthusiasts.
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“We’re a Great British institution, and open to all.”
Alongside the new slogan, Iceland is continuing its tradition of appointing celebrity mums as the face of the company.
TV presenter Josie Gibson has landed the role of the supermarket’s new ambassador.
“With her famous warmth and positivity, Josie is the perfect person to encapsulate the friendly welcome all our customers receive at Iceland,” Mr Walker continued, adding that the retailer is “delighted to have her onboard”.
Featured Image – Iceland Foods
Shopping
One of Manchester’s biggest vintage shops to close after a decade
Daisy Jackson
One of the biggest and best vintage shops in Manchester has announced its imminent closure.
Thrift Shop, which is part of the legendary Cow Vintage family, has said that the landlord of its store has ‘chosen not to renew our lease’.
The beloved vintage shop has been in its spot just off Piccadilly Gardens for a decade, with colourful rails stuffed with pre-loved denim, coats, dresses, accessories, and more.
Ahead of its closure this week, Thrift Shop has announced details of a major closing down sale, aiming to get rid of all its stock.
Initially touted as two for £10 on all thrift items, they’ve now slashed prices even further and are offering three items for £10.
That does exclude their ‘premium’ items, where you can snap up big labels like Carhartt and Levi’s.
Sharing the sad news of its closure online, Thrift Shop Manchester wrote: “We are gutted to announce the closure of beloved Manchester store.
Thrift Shop Manchester is throwing a huge closing down sale
“Last week we found out our landlord chose not to renew our lease after over ten years in this unit.
“To bid our farewell, we’re doing a MASSIVE closing down sale to get rid of all stock !!!! All Thrift items will be 2 for £10 until our last trading day on 30th May!!
“We’ve absolutely loved serving you for all these years, so long, farewell and, as always, get thrifty.”
In the comments, fellow independent retailer Thunder Egg – which just had to move out of its Oldham Street store (but is still in Afflecks) – commented: “So sorry to hear this, retail landlords in Manchester are absolutely in their sh*tbag era right now.”
Thrift Shop Manchester will close for good on Saturday 30 May.
Demolition and regeneration plans for former Manchester shopping centre to begin next month
Emily Sergeant
Plans to demolish and regenerate a former shopping centre in a Manchester suburb are set to kick off from next month.
Following planning approval at the end of 2025, major plans to transform the former Chorlton Cross Shopping Centre into a ‘thriving’ new destination to live and shop are set to commence with demolition in the next couple of weeks.
If you’re unfamiliar with the plans for the new Chorlton neighbourhood, they include 262 one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, all with access to outdoor space through balconies and gardens, 53 affordable homes – with 49 of them being available for social rent – and around 3,500 sq metres of public open space with fully walkable routes and outdoor seating areas.
A mix of flexible retail spaces, including a new ‘Makers Yard’ suitable for smaller start-up businesses will also be included, alongside new tree planting.
Phase one of the project will involve the dismantling the former shopping centre and neighbouring Graeme House buildings.
According to developers, the first step will be to close the precinct car park at the end of this month, before new hoardings are installed around the site to close the area off to pedestrians and vehicles for safety reasons.
The demolition work is expected to begin in mid-June, and be completed by August.
Where possible, materials from the existing buildings will be reused during construction of the new neighbourhood in a bid to help reduce the number of vehicles needed to remove materials from the site.
“Demolition marks another major milestone for the project, which will completely transform the former shopping centre,” commented Georgina Lynch, who is the managing director at Manchester-based developers, PJ Livesey.
“Our demolition contractor will carefully manage any issues throughout the work, and we will continue to stay in regular contact with local residents and businesses as the demolition progresses.”
Emily Sergeant -
22nd April 2024 
