Iceland store closed for days due to "IT system failure"

Thursday 28 August 2025. Iceland's popular local supermarket on Greenford Road close to Sudbury Hill underground station has been closed since Sunday.

A handwritten note in the window

Customer Notice in the window

Customer Notice
Due to an IT system failure we have had to close our store
Sorry for any inconvenience caused

Iceland supermarket, Greenford Road, North Greenford / Sudbury Hill today

Corner of First Avenue and Harrow Road, W10

Queens Park street scene, Monday, 6 January 2025

Home Fashion, First Avenue, London W10

Midday. "Home Fashion" furnishings shop. Corner of First Avenue and Harrow Road. 18 July 2024

 

TRAID charity shop, Shepherd's Bush

Three shop window mannequins dressed somewhat bizarrely

Wider view of TRAID shopfront

 "TRAID is a charity working to stop clothes from being thrown away. We turn clothes waste into funds and resources to reduce the environmental and social impacts of our clothes." 

Visit TRAID Shepherd's Bush for more details and how to donate or arrange a collection.

New cake shop, Sudbury Hill

CakeCo "Honestly Delicious Cakes" cakeco.co.uk

The ever-changing local shopfronts clustered around Sudbury Hill tube station. CakeCo replaces The Flower Nest, which replaced Doreen's florist. In the same couple of blocks there are three Polish supermarkets and an upstairs Polish restaurant, another cake shop, an Iceland, three fried chicken shops, two kebab shops, a fish-and-chips shop, four barber shops plus one "nails and beauty parlour", about ten Asian grocers, newsagents and greengrocers, another florist, dry cleaners who will also cut keys and mend shoes, a launderette, a betting shop, an undertakers, two estate agents and a glazier, a cards and photocopying shop, a pharmacy, a Chinese herbalist, a vape shop and a pub. There's a tiny coffee shop with chairs outside and a small newsagents kiosk on the sides of the station entrance. 

Up until a year or two ago there were two hardware shops, a bank, and a Chinese takeaway, another pharmacy and a Wenzel's sandwich shop, all now gone. Barclays Bank, which occupied a large frontage was replaced in the last year by a Budgens supermarket, which lasted no time and has now rebranded as another Mieszko supermarket, of which there now seem to be three with the same name. A member of staff in the former Budgens, now rebranded Mleszko, said that Tesco owns both Budgens and Mleszko. Tesco Mleszko/Budgens Shmudgens! (If anyone knows otherwise, please enlighten us. Ed.)

The Green Cabin - Sudbury Hill

The Green Cabin - café Greenford Road, HA1

Sign outside The Green Cabin

"NOTICE

FREE MEALS FACILITY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE UNABLE TO AFFORD THEIR MEALS.

TIME - 3 PM - 6PM

ALL NATIONALITIES ARE WELCOME (STUDENTS/HOMELESS/OTHER)

THE MANAGEMENT GREEN CABIN"

The Green Cabin is on the same block as Sudbury Hill underground station, Greenford Road.

Doreen's Florist, 149 Greenford Road

Shopfront in the process of transformation from The Flower Nest to CakeCo*

Before the "CakeCo" there was "The Flower Nest" and before that there was "Doreen's" florist, 149 Greenford Road, as you can see from the old shop sign newly exposed today and soon to disappear again. It's hard not to think that those old shop signs were so much nicer than the new. 

* The photo has been artificially straightened.

New Budgens in North Greenford

Photo: Shiny bottle-green shopfront of new local Budgens supermarket

The brand new Budgens is where the old Barclays Bank branch was. The shop is on the service road beside the main Greenford Road. Parking is on-street only and extremely limited, to say the least. On the same parade there are already Iceland and a Mleczko Polish local supermarkets. Nearest underground Sudbury Hill (two minutes walk), buses 92 and H17 stop outside.

AVAILABLE now at Blackwells.co.uk: New Short Stories 12

https://t.co/oEGLD2kzDZ are currently showing "10+ copies in stock", ready to go, with free delivery in the UK. Amazon are lagging far behind. https://t.co/swiv69iVUM

— Willesden Herald (@WillesdenHerald) November 11, 2022

At the time of writing, Blackwells.co.uk is showing "10+ copies in stock" with free delivery in the UK. To view, click this direct link. Other suppliers are lagging behind at present but can order on demand. (Ed.)

Update 13 Nov. '22: Now also in stock at Amazon.co.uk (UK free delivery with Prime) and Barnes & Noble (with free delivery US) and Amazon.com. Can available on request in the UK from Waterstones.

Hollywood Nails

Hollywood Nails professional nail care, Greenford Road, north Greenford, Oct 2022

 

Long time, no shops

Launderama - Laundry, Dry Cleaners, Alterations

Maya Pub

"Lobsters Fish Bar" Fish & Chips

Random shops from the marvellous Shaftesbury Circle, Harrow, a wonderful shopping parade. The circle's architecture is wonderful and deserves its own dedicated report by someone far better at this than me. (Ed.)

Petticoat Lane, London, c.1900 (film)

Men and women around an east end market in London, possibly Petticoat Lane (Middlesex Street) around 1900 at this time a predominantly a poor Jewish working class area.
Credit: Huntley Archives pic.twitter.com/qtW523br9t

— Historygirl (@janeyellene) November 28, 2021

Wonderful scenes down Petticoat Lane market in the East End of London, circa 1900. Does that sort of joy even exist anymore? (Ed.)

Sweet Corner - Greenford Road

Sweet Corner

Cakes, Ice Cream and Coffe

Choosing the flavours

Birthday cakes to order

All kinds of chocolates and sweets too

The shop is opposite Sudbury Hill underground station.

From The Yard to Tiffty's Tavern and from Maher's to Moloney's

A signwriter changing the name of this pub in North Greenford from "The Yard" to "Tiffty's Tavern" 

The font and colours suggest "an Irish pub." There are Irish pubs all over the world, and if the Irish state had marketing rights, it could probably live on the proceeds. But like the Murphy's, we're not bitter. My California/Filipino air steward friend says wherever they stopover, she always looks for the Irish pub. From Kuala Lumpur to Montevideo, from Cape Town to Anchorage, Alaska [You just made that bit up, didn't you? Ed.], you'll see the Gaelic font and assorted bicycles, mirror adverts etc and find a cold pint of the Dublin ambrosia awaits you, though it might have been brewed in Nigeria. So wherever you may be, "Sláinte Mhaith!"

The result. Tiffty's Tavern

And before it became "The Yard" it was "Gerry Mac's".

So, what gives? Is there really someone called "Tiffty" and was there someone called "Gerry Mac"? It seems unlikely. Further down Greenford Road, the same sort of name-changing has been happening with what was Ryans Bar, which then became Tommy Maher's Irish Bar and lately Moloney's Bar.

A photo of "Tommy Maher's Irish Bar", which used to be "Ryans" and more recently "Moloney's Bar"

According to WhatPub.com, Moloney's Bar was previously named Dugout Sports Bar, Ryan's, Maher's Irish Bar, West Bar, Old Bull and Captain Morgan's.

Harry Lemon

More info: What Pub - Tiffty's Tavern, What Pub - Moloney's Bar

Chemist shop: "Covid tests available" (Sudbury Hill)

CuraPharm chemist shop, 154 Greenford Road. Scrolling sign says "Covid tests available" 16 January 2021 (video) #CovidUK #SudburyHill pic.twitter.com/RuJHcECXp2

— Stephen Moran (@stephen_j_moran) January 17, 2021

CuraPharm chemist shop, 154 Greenford Road. Scrolling sign says "Covid tests available" 16 January 2021. (Twitter video). N.B. You can get a free test. Google "Covid tests near me" or visit this official site to request a free test online.

"Progress" - old shop/new shop. Does London still exist?

This is what became of the Kingsland Cafe in the KIngsland Rd, as depicted by @eleanor_crow https://t.co/yTcQCQko5R pic.twitter.com/CbnKV18PJW

— Spitalfields Life (@thegentleauthor) May 17, 2020

Syd's Coffee Stall closes after 100 years in Shoreditch

Last Brew After A Century Of Syd's Coffee Stallhttps://t.co/NSXfo96ol0 pic.twitter.com/8H9YmOucJ6

— Spitalfields Life (@thegentleauthor) December 22, 2019

And here is the richly illustrated report in Spitalfields Life. Stayed open round the clock during the London Blitz "serving refreshments to the firemen and auxiliary workers." It says the stall is now destined for the Museum of London.

Whiteleys reduced to a skeleton

Whiteleys in Bayswater today pic.twitter.com/IbEjF7v5Pg

— Spitalfields Life (@thegentleauthor) November 29, 2019

Where the hell am I going to park now, without that rooftop car park? I've got to get to Khans and Fortune Cookie with my guests and wander down to the art market along Hyde Park railings. Life is no longer worth living. {Don't post this, Feargal. I just wanted to show you what they've done. Edmondo}

Beautiful shop replaced with monstrous logo & void

How heartbreaking is this? Spiegelhalters in Mile End Rd - the developers preferred to destroy the nineteenth century shopfront for sake of an architectural void. https://t.co/Cq3GIEj3oH pic.twitter.com/FX5i5BOezF

— Spitalfields Life (@thegentleauthor) August 19, 2019

Spiritual Wellbeing

Holloway Road