“Gelato-core” gains traction with British summer consumers

British consumers are gaining a taste of “Gelato-core” Italian traditional ice cream values, with distinctive pistachios, peaches and soft yellow colours reportedly in high demand, reports Neill Barston.

The new findings from Faire, an online wholesale marketplace, has noted the nation’s spell of strong summer weather has driven demand within the category, with consumers seeking out new and inventive flavours.

According to the company, UK shoppers are “getting a taste of the Amalfi coast on a budget” with independent retailers in coastal destinations reportedly reaping the benefit of an uptick in sales.

As the business noted, ‘Santorini blues’ had been a go-to colour trend purchased by independent retailers on the coast, but over the last six months there’s been a shift in buying habits with ice cream pastel colours ruling the roost.

Significantly, it stated that national sales for  pastel-themed products have risen by 85% year-on-year driven by seasonal demand while sales for traditional Greek blue products have flattened with just 11% sales growth in the same period.

Another notable trend is that it appears an almost exclusively a coastal destination phenomena, with tourist hotspots such as Cornwall have enjoyed sales growth of 136%, Devon up 127%, Brighton up 106%, meanwhile mainland city locations such as rainy Manchester, demand for pastels grew by just 3% and in Leeds growth was just 25%.

It’s not just sales on the rise it’s search too ‘gelato-core’ was coined internally when Faire data-analysts spotted search trends shift with an ice-cream theme, quite literally.

The search term ‘Ice Cream’ has doubled, with flavours up in their hundreds and thousands too. ‘Pistachio’ is flavour of the month with search volume up 600%. ‘Vanilla’ scoops second spot, up 400% and Mint takes third with a 130% rise in search volumes.

Charlotte Broadbent, UK General Manager at Faire, said: “At Faire, we’re constantly reviewing real-time search and sales data to stay ahead of what independent retailers are looking for. As summer gets underway and UK staycations ramp up, we’re seeing a surge in demand for ‘gelato-core’ – soft ice cream pastels like pistachio, peach and butter-lemon yellow – especially in coastal destinations like Cornwall, Brighton and Devon.

“Unlike most trends that spread nationally, this one is firmly anchored in seaside towns. Manchester and other major cities, which are usually trend-forward, are trailing behind on this one.

pic: Adobestock

“What makes it fun is how wide-ranging it is. We’re seeing everything from pistachio-scented hair perfumes to novelty lemon and peach candles, plush toys in ice cream parlour tones, and lots of pastel homewares in this year’s colour of the year, butter lemon yellow. If it looks like it belongs in an ice cream shop, it’s flying off the shelves.”

Nikki Pritchard, owner of Strange and Co, a boutique department store in Rhos-on-Sea in North Wales agreed that the trend for pastels was taking hold, asserting:  “We recently moved our pastel colours to the front of the shop with some soft yellows right by the door and they draw people in every day, a customer yesterday literally said: “oh that gorgeous yellow just caught my eye and brought me in!”

“When you’re here, you’re living in colour, whether you’re here for the day or you’re here for life. It’s all part of the aesthetic of a coastal town. Ice cream parlours popping back up, beautifully painted homes, there’s no darkness around you, especially with this gorgeous summer we’re having. The light is just right, so people get more adventurous with the colours they buy.”