In 1970 Malcolm Walker and Peter Henschliffe, both employees of Woolworths invested £ 60 in the cost of the first month’s rental of a frozen food store in Oswestry, Shropshire. When Woolworths discovered their extracurricular activities, they immediately terminated their employment – a procedure which later proved incredibly ludicrous.
More Icelandic stores have opened and now have 700 outlets across the UK, 51 of which were purchased from Woolworths upon closing.
In the fiscal year 2010, Iceland posted a profit of £ 135 million on revenue of £ 2.26 billion (a respectable 6%). This also represents an increase of just under 20% from the 2009 figures. Also, 2,500 new jobs were created in 74 new stores (including 51 old stores in Woolworths).
Job Opportunities
As usual, application forms for in-store positions (such as sales assistant, cashier, etc.) must be obtained from the nearest store (owned by the store manager) while the administrative candidates can apply online.
Iceland says their interviews are friendly and full of questions and answers – for both the candidate and the interviewer. Given this and the fact that they already expect applicants to ask their fair share of items, anyone considering applying for a vacancy in Iceland would be a good idea to have their problems written on paper, in preparation for the big day. Better yet, go to your local store and pretend to be a customer. Note how you are being treated, what products are being promoted and which are hard to find. Also, check to see if any of the employees have sad faces (possibly an indication of unhappiness or an unhappy team).
The company undertakes that if applicants pass the initial screening, they will be contacted by the store manager to prepare for a discussion and subsequent interview.
By applying now, you will be one of the first to put on your new Icelandic outfit. This is a black shirt with red, grey and orange stripes with Iceland logo on the sleeve. Deliveries receive a waterproof bomber jacket, baseball cap/beanie, and a scarf. Supervisors wear formal trousers and managers wear a red tie jacket.
Home delivery is a significant feature of Icelandic stores. While other stores offer it “ on-demand ” and usually for a small extra fee, Iceland offers it for every customer who spends more than £ 25 which is excellent considering most supermarkets in the Kingdom – Uni will charge a delivery fee of around £ 6 Sterling.
