Iceland supermarket drops Christmas advert to 'support customers'

Supermarket chain Iceland has said it will not roll out a Christmas advert this year and will instead spend the money supporting its customers.

"Rather than spend millions creating and sharing a TV ad, we chose to invest the money supporting our customers during the cost of living crisis," Iceland's managing director said.

Richard Walker said in a post on X that the decision was a "no-brainer".

Taken as a whole, advertisers are set to spend a record £9.5bn during this festive season, according to new data by the Advertising Association and World Advertising Research Centre.

Last year, some retailers toned down their Christmas adverts as retail experts warned that some of the traditional adverts were out of touch with households battling higher prices.

This year, many supermarkets have spent heavily on getting famous faces to front their campaigns.

Michael Bublé has taken on a role in Asda's Christmas advert, while Rick Astley is the face of the Sainsbury's campaign.

Last year's advert for Iceland, which is headquartered in Flintshire, was voiced by Brian Blessed and featured Slade's Noddy Holder.