UFS ice cream range includes Wall’s, Ben & Jerry’s and Magnum. Unilever will be offering their ice cream to all sectors from universities to casual dining and pubs.
Unilever has identified three main drivers in the ice cream industry:
- Indulgence
- Better for you (vegan options)
- Snacking occasion
Research from Eat Out Panel identified that when the weather is above 22°C 40% of consumers are selecting an ice cream over other food-to-go options. The ice cream category drives up to 2.5 times more margin than other snacks such as chocolate or crisps.
Ice cream is the number one dessert option across all foodservice channels according to Eat Out Panel research.
Hazel Destiny, managing director of Food Solutions UK & Ireland, said: “This move provides food service operators with a significant opportunity to drive footfall, increase margin and grow their business using some of the UK’s best-loved ice cream brands. Our heritage is in food service and culinary, and we have a great track record and years of expertise in this area.
“We already work with many of the biggest food operators in the UK, providing them with a best in class service, so it makes sense for us to simply extend our offering into a much-loved category that will drive incrementality and profit margin.
“We’re a one stop shop – from Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Knorr to delicious ice-creams such as Magnum and Ben & Jerry’s.”
Unilever is ‘continually innovating’ to meet consumer demands and tastes. They launched new products including Magnum Ruby, the Magnum vegan classic and a new mango Twister flavour.