SUPERMARKET chain Iceland has unveiled plans to bring its Food Warehouse brand to East Lothian.

The firm has applied for a provisional licence to operate a new store at a new retail park in Haddington.

The application, which will go before East Lothian Licensing Board next week, reveals plans for a new The Food Warehouse at Gateside in the town which will sell alcohol and provide home delivery services.

It adds that the new store will also on occasion be used to launch new products, have food tasting events and host friends and family evenings.

Iceland launched The Food Warehouse stores in 2014 and currently has 50 around the United Kingdom.

It describes the warehouses as usually more than double the size of a typical Iceland store, offering a “significant additional range of fresh products, extended range of luxury and speciality frozen food” on top of the Iceland range.

It also offers bulk packs of tinned and household products.

In its application for a licence, Iceland said: “The Food Warehouse has been a huge success underlined by the rate of growth. In early 2015 it was trading successfully in six locations (none in Scotland). Fast forward to the end of 2018 and there are now 85 stores in England and Wales and seven trading in Scotland.

“Haddington has been earmarked as a Food Warehouse site.”

The licence application asks for alcohol off-sales to be allowed seven days a week from 10am to 10pm.

A spokesman for Iceland said that the retail park was still in the early stages of development and opening plans were subject to planning consents.

However, he added: “We hope to open a a new The Food Warehouse store here (Haddington) in the final quarter of 2020.”

Previously, Aldi, Home Bargains and Costa Coffee have all been named as looking to open at the planned retail park at Gateside West, which would also feature a petrol station.

The site, previously earmarked as a Sainsbury’s supermarket, is sandwiched between the A199 and B6471, with the Oak Tree junction of the A1 to the west, and would become home to nearly 300 parking spaces.