Parlours and vans have survived a hugely difficult couple of years by adding a big scoop of innovation<\/p>\n
First published on Sun 22 Aug 2021 03.30 EDT<\/p>\n
Last July, Filippo Mancini, a fourth-generation ice-cream maker, ran the Belly Banger competition from his shop on the esplanade at Prestwick beach in Ayrshire.<\/p>\n
Punters paid \u00a37.50 for 12 scoops \u2013 \u201cwhatever flavours you wanted, a wee biscuit in the top and some cream\u201d. They had 15 minutes to eat them. If they managed it they got a certificate and their money back. Mancini, who says about a dozen people succeeded, plans to run the competition again this September.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
With the ice-cream industry suffering a difficult time since the start of the pandemic \u2013 according to the Ice Cream Alliance, parlours and vans made a loss of \u00a3289m in 2020 \u2013 creative ideas have been helping to raise the fortunes of some.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, the alliance launched its Great British Ice-Cream Staycation campaign to support its members, providing them with marketing tools and running a social media competition to win a year\u2019s worth of ice-cream, provided by Mancini.<\/p>\n
Maggie Rush, co-owner of Graham\u2019s Ices, which runs five vans in York, is \u201ccertainly sharing more photographs on Instagram and Facebook this year\u201d because of the campaign. Katy Alston, who owns vans and Pinks Parlour in Bognor Regis, says it has engendered a community spirit within the sector that \u201chas been a real game-changer\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all promoting each other,\u201d she says. \u201cWe ask people where they\u2019re from and we tell them about the parlours and manufacturers in their area. People are doing that for us, too. We\u2019re finding people that are visiting from Scotland and normally go to Mancini\u2019s have learnt about us from Mancini. It\u2019s wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the overall picture, according to the Ice Cream Alliance, is one of loss \u2013 70% of its members said turnover was down considerably in 2020, compared with the year before \u2013 fortunes were mixed, with sellers in tourist destinations appearing to fare best.<\/p>\n
When the first lockdown was announced, many were at the start of their peak season. Alston says it was \u201cprobably the first really good weekend we would expect \u2013 it was Mother\u2019s Day\u201d. With the weather unusually good, sellers reported the strangeness of having to sit on their hands. It was, says John Taylor, who co-owns Harrogate\u2019s 130-year-old C&M Ices, \u201ca total sea-change mentally\u201d.<\/p>\n
Many gave away freezers full of ice-cream that would otherwise have gone off. Alston and her son spent two days dropping gelato at the doors of teachers and nurses after a social media campaign where people could nominate others who deserved a treat. Anglesey\u2019s Red Boat Ice Cream Parlour, known for its unusual flavours, including jelly baby and seafood, spent six weeks delivering free ice-cream to hospitals, hospices and care homes throughout north Wales.<\/p>\n
Innovation proved effective for some. Many van owners report starting a home delivery service once the uncertainty surrounding whether that was allowed was cleared up, with rules differing between local authorities.<\/p>\n
In Harrogate, Taylor was allowed to deliver by the middle of May, although without the tune \u201cbecause that was deemed to be enticing a crowd\u201d. He adapted: \u201cWe had to use social media and get people to order ice-cream like pizza.\u201d Whole streets of neighbours put in joint orders. Some sellers have continued delivery services \u2013 Red Boat is carrying on despite its parlours being open again.<\/p>\n
Sellers describe another mixed picture this summer. \u201cDepending on your location, your story will vary,\u201d says Rush, who has benefited from the busy tourist trade in York. She\u2019s also had an increase in bookings from schools \u2013 with many school trips off the cards, she\u2019s been invited in for seaside-themed days where children enjoy 99 flakes.<\/p>\n
Taylor is hopeful for the future: \u201cAs long as I can still drive around the streets and park at my pitch \u2026 as long as we can operate in some fashion, we will get by.\u201d The rest, he says, is down to the weather.<\/p>\n
The pandemic has had a few positive effects. In her Bognor parlour, Alston has noticed people enjoying traditional sundaes or floats more than ever. She thinks it\u2019s because \u201cwe\u2019re reassessing our lives and looking at what really matters\u201d.<\/p>\n
The industry, says Alston, is realising it doesn\u2019t have to stay seasonal. Her parlour is going to run workshops teaching people how to make gelato and she is looking at hosting groups to make more autumnal or Christmassy flavours.<\/p>\n
An ice-cream has been a welcome treat when others were off the menu. \u201cIt\u2019s a perfect cheer-me-up thing; when are you ever unhappy when you eat ice-cream?\u201d asks Mancini, who is a self-confessed \u201cpig for ice cream\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven just sitting looking at these people outside my shop now having an ice-cream \u2026 the sun is hitting them \u2013 lovely, you can\u2019t beat it.\u201d<\/p>\n