Iceland rebuked by Football Association as Stourbridge store rebranded for the World Cup

Bosses at Iceland have told of their shock after receiving a letter from lawyers after the frozen food retailer temporarily renamed its Stourbridge store in honour of England’s football stars during the World Cup.

Iceland supermarket in Stourbridge transformed its store signage from ‘Iceland’ to ‘England’ to show its support for the Three Lions - in particular Jude Bellingham who hails from the town.

Stores in the hometowns of Harry Kane and Jordan Pickford were also temporarily rebranded.

Supermarket chiefs thought they had found the perfect way to back the England squad in the final days of the tournament but the stunt was swiftly shown the red card by the Football Association.

Iceland said it was hit with a legal warning from lawyers acting for The FA - demanding the signage be removed immediately.

Bosses at the high street business said a cease and desist letter was received, as England prepared to face off against Argentina in the semi-final on Wednesday July 15, accusing Iceland of creating the false impression it was officially linked to The FA and England’s national team.

Supermarket chiefs said the accusation and the timing of it was astonishing.

They said The FA’s lawyers argued customers could wrongly have believed Iceland had an official commercial relationship with The FA and that Iceland’s campaign risked damaging the brand’s reputation.

A spokesperson for Iceland said of the situation: “We are shocked and deeply disappointed that, on the day the whole country was getting behind England, the FA chose to send lawyers after us instead of celebrating the incredible support being shown for the national team.

“Our shopfront signage change was in three hometown stores of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Jordan Pickford and was about nothing more than backing England and creating a bit of excitement for our customers and colleagues ahead of one of the biggest matches in years.

"What makes this even more extraordinary is the timing. Had England beaten Argentina, this letter would have meant us stripping away our displays, removing our social media posts and ending our celebrations just days before a World Cup final.

“At the very moment the nation could have been coming together to support England on the biggest stage of all, we were being told to take everything down. That's something we find difficult to understand."

Iceland said lawyers from The FA ordered the retailer to stop using the England branding and remove material complained about from stores and social media and to provide written confirmation by 4pm on July 17 that it would not repeat the activity.

The FA has been contacted for comment.

Meanwhile, Iceland has insisted its promotion was never intended to suggest any official relationship with England’s governing body. The chain said it had simply been a light-hearted celebration of the nation’s World Cup run.