The ice cream market - Italy

1.1 Definition and scope of study

The term ice cream parlour refers to the production and sale of homemade ice cream. What distinguishes ice cream shops from simple retailers of pre-packaged ice creams is the artisan activity that concerns all the phases of creation, elaboration of the recipe, research of the ingredients, mixing and the actual production of the finished product that allows artisan ice creams to be characterized by high freshness and uniqueness of taste. 

The European market of artisan ice cream shops represents about 60% of the world market and from the point of view of geographical distribution, Germany, Spain and Italy represent the most prosperous countries both in terms  of points of sale and in terms of consumption.

In particular, the Italian ice cream parlors market is characterized by a very high number of specialized ice cream parlors, bars and pastry shops operating in this market. The region which has the highest number of outlets is Lombardy, followed by Tuscany and Emilia Romana characterized by lower concentration rates.

Despite a period of standstill due to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ice cream parlour market has, today, excellent growth prospects. 

Regarding the production chain, the ice cream parlour market represents a  very valuable segment for the operators of the Italian agro-food industry dedicated to the production of raw materials such as sugar, milk, fruit, etc., given the high volumes of purchases it registers.

Two very important trends that are slowly gaining ground in the market are innovation and digitalization. With regard to the first trend, however, it should be noted that the percentage of ice cream parlors characterized by a high level of innovation is still very low. Even more critical is the situation with regard to the degree of digitalization. In fact, there are very few ice cream parlours that are effectively exploiting this trend, for example, through the use of delivery platforms, which represent a significant growth opportunity for this market.