Matt Frost, managing director of Glacier, an ice cream manufacturer specialising in own brands and contract manufacturing (300m litres, €575m turnover) based in Italy, comments on the ice cream market: “Europe’s ice cream market is showing impressive resilience, with strong momentum and forecasted long-term growth. Consumers are no longer just enjoying an ice cream in the summer months; this is an all-year opportunity. This is in part due to the rise of At-Home occasion dining, but also as consumers look to treat themselves. This goes for both the classic designs and flavours, alongside the premium innovations, too. As we enter the festive season and into 2026, this appetite for ice cream continues.”
In 2024, the European ice cream market had a volume of €18.7bn, making it the largest ice cream market in the world. Private labels accounted for €4.6bn – around 25% of the total retail market value. Germany, the United Kingdom and France together account for 48% of the total market. According to Glacier, the ice cream market in Europe will grow by an average of 2.6% per year until 2030, with branded products potentially achieving growth of 2.8%.
