What you need to know
The recent downward trend in ice cream volume sales continued in 2015. The negative media focus on sugar, competition from other snacks and lacklustre summer weather have all played a role. The same factors are at play in the dessert market, which has similarly seen continuous volume decline in recent years.
With these factors expected to continue to exert pressure on these markets, further decline is predicted in both areas. Rising real incomes however hold the hope of scope for premiumisation, even as the outlook for volumes remains lacklustre. That healthier variants would be widely welcomed by consumers also points to potential for the market to look to NPD to curb cutting back.
Products covered in this Report
This Report covers take-home and impulse retail sales of ice cream. It also examines the UK retail market for chilled, ambient and frozen desserts.
It excludes sales through foodservice establishments.
Ice cream
Impulse ice cream is defined as single-serve ice cream purchased for immediate consumption, including wrapped handheld ice cream products, including chocolate bars, ice cream cones, chocolate stick products, tubs and cups. Water ices and ice lollies are not strictly speaking ‘ice cream’ but are generally regarded as such and thus are another part of the handheld sector.
Take-home ice cream is defined as any product that comprises primarily ice cream and is intended for consumption in the home, including dairy ice cream and non-dairy ice cream of all flavours retailed in multiple serving packs (500ml or over) and multipacks of single-serve items. It also includes ice cream-based desserts like Viennetta.
Desserts
Chilled desserts includes all types of chilled desserts such as dairy-based desserts, chilled custard, fruit compote, mousse, panna cotta and (prepared) puddings.
Ambient desserts include dessert ingredients (eg sweet condensed milk, evaporated milk, custard, jelly, ice cream accompaniments), dessert ready mixes (eg mousse, blancmange, toppings) and ready-to-eat desserts (eg RTE custard, RTE jelly, rice pudding, sponge pudding, fruit pots).
Frozen desserts include for example frozen cakes, sponge puddings, cheesecake, gateaux, Pavlova and traditional puddings as well as frozen fruit.
Dessert toppings include dessert sauces, topping syrups, coulis and hot fudge sauce.
Shelf-stable cakes and Christmas puddings are excluded.
