Ice cream vans in a changing climate

Imagine a long hot summer’s day, time to relax and enjoy the sun….. at the time of writing this seems a long time ago!

During the longer, hotter summers the living was easy for ice cream vans.  Into the 21st Century the summers seem shorter, less predictable and wetter.  So the lot of the ice cream van vendor is not as straightforward as it used to be.

It is not just the weather either, ice cream vendors are restricted by the introduction towards the end of the 20th Century of legislation that limits where people can trade, taking away some of the most profitable sites.

This means that it is necessary to seek alternative pitches and licensing can be a nightmare of persuasion as you fight your case to earn a living.  If you are new to the business you need to be aware that you are not allowed to set up within 50 metres of a hospital, school or place of worship. The lovely chimes cannot ring for longer than 12 seconds at a time or for more than once every two minutes, have to be at or below 80 decibels and you are not allowed to use them after 7pm or before 12 noon.

All of this makes a fun and potentially lucrative business just that much harder to manage.

All is not lost though; there are plenty of people who love ice cream vans and the chimes.

Those who are not tied to the constraints of a brand or tight franchise could benefit from expanding the range.  Is there room for a hot water boiler?  Selling hot drinks is a good way to counterbalance the weather problem.

Shows, fairs and other events are a good way to boost the income from the van and the hot drinks especially could make the difference between profit and loss or deciding to stay at home on a wet, dreary day.

Another tip to help you is to get a DBS, there is often suspicion about people who run ice cream vans, and understandably, most kids love the ice cream man or lady!  Proudly display your DBS and always mention it when enquiring about pitches at fetes and so on.

If you are a Ice Cream business owner and would like to Insure your Ice cream van, get in touch with us. Our Ice Cream Van Insurance quotes are very competitive and we are not on comparison websites.

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