DOZENS of eager shoppers were rewarded with giveaways as Droitwich’s newest supermarket opened.
Iceland’s Droitwich store opened for the first time on Tuesday (April 21) in Unit 38, St Andrews Square.
Some customers were queuing for up to three hours as excitement built for the opening in the former Poundland store.
Shawn and Christina Matthews arrived at the store at 5am, and were the first customers to step inside when it opened three hours later.
Mr Matthews said: “It’s great to have an Iceland in Droitwich; you had to travel to go to Iceland before.
EARLYBIRD: Shawn and Christina Matthews were the first people to arrive for the opening (Image: Newsquest)
“We didn’t use Poundland as much, and I used to work at Wilko before that closed, so it’s nice to have a shop we will use back.”
Daniel Cale was overseeing the opening of Iceland Droitwich.
Mr Cale, from Droitwich, said: “There has been a lot of buzz for an Iceland store in this area for many, many years, and we have just been looking for the right site, really.
“This is perfect for us, so we are delighted to have it and delighted to be in.”
Family-owned shoe shop re-opens after managers retire
Care home celebrates arrival of spring with community event
Five spring gardens opening up soon – including one with the world’s rarest tree
To celebrate the opening, Iceland hosted giveaways and special events for its first customers.
BUZZ: Daniel Cole said people were excited for the opening of (Image: Newsquest)
Mr Cale said: “We have got Pepsi Max and Warburtons giving prizes away, and, for the first 100 customers, we have got vouchers to give out so they can win air fryers and grills.”
A few lucky visitors who had been in the queue before 7.30am won the chance to take part in a Supermarket Sweep-style trolley dash, where they had 90 seconds to grab whatever they liked to take home for free.
GIFT: Julie Ramsdale-Owen won a goody bag from Warburtons (Image: Newsquest)
While the new store is expected to create 22 new jobs, a few employees will be very familiar with Unit 38.
Some members of the Iceland staff were former employees of Poundland and Wilko and have been working inside the building for over two decades.
Iceland Droitwich will be open from 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.
