Food giant Iceland has been ousted from the Bhs store in Brighton, putting almost 20 jobs on the line.

Store bosses at Bhs have issued the frozen food chain notice to quit its concession in the basement of the Churchill Square store.

The 19 full and part-time staff have been told the freezer shop will close on April 11.

A letter tells them a consultation process has begun to find them jobs at other branches.

It continues: "Regrettably the store will cease to trade as a result of Iceland being issued with notice by Bhs to terminate the lease.

"I very much regret the company has been forced to take this action but we shall be working hard to ensure as many staff as possible are redeployed with Iceland.

"In the meantime, we would like all staff to continue to work as normal."

Iceland opened the mini supermarket downstairs at Bhs in February 2000, when its management was in talks with owners Storehouse to buy the ailing retail chain.

There was talk of a nationwide link-up with Iceland in 100 Bhs shops, creating 4,000 jobs.

But Iceland pulled out of the deal and in May 2000 the chain was bought by private investor Phillip Green. Similar concessions in Birmingham, Staines, Reading and Sutton will also close.

A spokeswoman for Iceland said: "We're confident there is room for an Iceland in many more of the nation's high streets and suburbs.

"Brighton is one of the areas on our wish list of possible sites for 80 new stores over the next three years."

The manager of the BHS branch refused to comment on future changes to the shop.