Ice cream is one of grocery’s hottest tickets right now, with value sales up 10% on volumes up 11%. In this, the second in our new programme of digital features, we reveal why, with an extra-large scoop of exclusive market analysis, consumer research and insight from brands and retailers. Enjoy…

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One in five young people eat 500ml tubs of ice cream in one go

Twenty two per cent of 16 to 24 year olds regularly consume 500ml tubs of ice cream to themselves in one sitting, exclusive research for The Grocer reveals, versus 13% of the wider population.

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Frozen yoghurt’s flying: but how far can it grow?

Sales of frozen yoghurt have increased 30% over the past year as a number of major players have moved into the category and smaller brands have won listings in the multiples. But our research suggests the sector will have to work hard to maintain its trajectory…

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Tesco has topped our taste test in orange lollies’ Finest hour

We’ve put together our very own digital consumer panel, with the help of Watch Me Think, to find out what shoppers think about four new ice cream launches, from Tesco Finest, Heston from Waitrose, Snog and Bessant & Drury’s.

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Ads matter in ice cream: spend surges a third

All but two of ice cream’s 10 biggest advertisers have ramped up spend, forking out £9.3m on traditional ad space in the past year, a hike of 30.7%. So what have brands been splurging their cash on? And to what effect?

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Magnum still has the force: sales rise 21.4%

What a lot of lolly! Brits have spent £81.6m, or 16.2%, more on handheld ice cream in the past year, with nearly a quarter of that going on just one brand: Magnum. With freezer space squeezed and deals up, where does this leave smaller rivals and tubs; do they still feel lucky?

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Eggy lollies get Vietnamese launch

Peelable ice pops, tomato ice cream, salt water lollies, egg & banana ices… ice cream is about much more than bog standard vanilla. We asked Mintel’s Alex Beckett for a rundown of the most interesting, and weirdest, new products to have hit freezers across the world.

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Häagen-Dazs is spending big in social media

When the sun shines, take to social media. That seems to be the lesson in our research into the social media activity of Britain’s biggest ice cream brands, courtesy of Headstream. Their analysis shows that Häagen-Dazs spent big on Facebook activity as the mercury rose in July.

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It’s not just what you know… meet ice cream’s must-know buyers

Any brand looking to win share of this competitive market needs to know their buyers. Here’s a rundown of some of the most influential buyers in the industry.

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Own-label ice cream’s got it licked: sales surge 12.4%

Following a raft of own label launches from Britain’s biggest retailers, own label is giving brands a run for their money with low-cost indulgent offerings. So what are the most successful own-label launches of the past year?

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Women eat far more ice cream than men… but they’re catching up

It will be no surprise that kids eat the most ice cream. But exclusive analysis of the occasions on which we consume ice cream shows that women have tucked in on 11.7 million more occasions than men in the past year.