Italian sales of ice cream (not including artisanal) are expected to reach €1.7 million in 2009, declining by 1% on 2008. Volumes are expected to reach 202,000 tonnes, registering decline of around 1%. Sales are sluggish, with volume sales falling by over 6% between 2004 and 2009. Sales of artisanal ice cream, however, are booming, as this ice cream is perceived to be of higher quality. Value sales reached €9 million in 2008, growing by 8% on the previous year. Italians love ice cream and penetration is estimated at around 90-95%, but consumption remains mainly concentrated during the summer season and remains below other countries such as New Zealand and the US, possibly due to the fact that Italians are very weight conscious.

The countries examined within the Consumer Goods Intelligence series of reports are France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.