Iceland in move to former Beatties store

Frozen food chain Iceland is to take over Dudley's landmark Beatties store, it has been revealed today.

The firm will move into the empty unit in the Churchill shopping centre on December 2.

The 10,000sq ft, three-storey building has been closed since January 31.

It is believed Iceland will only move into the ground floor of the site, though no official plans have been released yet.

The announcement gives new hope for the future of the town centre, which has been hit by a number of shop closures in recent years.

Deputy Dudley Council leader Les Jones today welcomed the news and said it would "drive forward the economic regeneration of Dudley".

He said: "Iceland must see an opportunity to do good business there so they must expect to attract plenty of customers, which will be good for the town."

Beatties was one of the last remaining big names in the town when it closed on January 31 after 40 years of trading.