Industry revenue of “manufacture of ice cream“ in Austria 2012-2024

The Austrian ice cream industry is projected to grow over three-fold in the decade leading up to 2022 and one of the reasons for this is the rapid growth of ice cream parlors in the country. In fact, Austria has the highest number of ice cream parlors per person in Europe, with one for every 15,000 people, according to the Chamber of Commerce. The capital city of Vienna, in particular, has seen a rapid rise in the number ice cream parlors over the last few years with brands such as Leones Gelato, Summer Samba, Tuchlauben and Veganista opening more branches in the city. Interestingly, Veganista, launched in 2013, is the first ever vegan ice cream shop to have opened in the capital city. Moreover, the industry is also benefitting from various coffee houses and cake shops in the country that are selling ice cream as a side product.

Covid-19 to impact the ice cream industry

The Global ice cream industry was valued at 69 billion U.S. dollars in 2019 and according to initial projections, was forecast to grow 9 percent in the short term. However, the outbreak of the Covid-19 is expected to stall this growth, owing to reduced demand and supply in many nations including Austria. General Mills, one of the leading manufacturers of ice cream, has reported far lesser sales in Asia as compared to the same period last year. Moreover, Amul, one of the largest producers of ice cream in India, has also witnessed drastically low sales owing to the nationwide lockdown. Manufacturers are getting increasingly tensed, as stock inventories are simply piling up owing to tepid demand and dysfunctional distribution channels.