Ice Cream Van Business Help!?

Question

Ice Cream Van Business Help!?
I want to start an ice cream van business in the UK. Do I need a license to start up? Can I sell ice cream anywhere? What do ice cream van owners do in the winter? And how much of a profit margin do most ice cream vans work on?

Answer 1

Hello again Hutch -just answeres another of your questions.
Ice-cream eh ?
Sure there is a big seasonal market if you can establish the right pitch or round. Goodly profits.
Hopefully enough to dissapear to somewhere nice during winter.
I would anticipate a healthy annual turnover & margin at those figures stated.
I don't see that a previous answer is correct, though.
If you are vending any foodstuff to the public, be it an ice-cream van, a chippy, a burger/hot dog stall, a roadside sandwich & tea trailer, whatever, you must have a chitty from your health & safety bods, and trading standards, on display, as inspected.
You should not be selling home-made sandwiches to the public otherwise. Oh - public liability insurance as well.
OK making a batch of stuff up for a wedding or whatnot, but not for sale.
Imagine the van bumps into a kid, or someone states that your ice-cream has put them in hospital with a dodgy tum.
Legal fees, end of business, and personal disaster.
Could happen, mon ami, and has.
I have to have £3m cover, as an electrical engineer, in case I do something incorrect, and some twit blows someone up in error.
Quite right too, so I don't know where your previous rogue's answer is coming from !
There's always one I suppose.

(Oh I had an old mate that sold cigs & baccy around factory areas in his ice-cream van, many moons ago, and all that was well !)

All the best with it,
Bob

Answer 2

Well first of all you need a Baseball Bat in the Van, you can't just sell anywhere, there are Territories!! Be WARNED!!....it's not as innocent as it looks! Don't let the chiming bells and little kiddies running up to the van fool you, its kinda Nasty...Many Van Owners Have OTHER jobs in winter Or after Dark! u get me?

Answer 3

Ice cream vans are a great source of nitrous oxide you know!


So no matter what the profit margin is you'll be laughing all the way to the bank (and everywhere else for that matter)

Answer 4

No a license is not needed, you will have to create your own patch to sell on, winter months they count their profit, for every £1.30 spent £10 profit is made on soft-serve ice cream.
contact evotech composites 01246 241 004 I bought my van from here.

Answer 5

Go to the a largish town/city public library which has a decent reference section and ask for COBRA - Business Opportunity Profiles - it should have a run down in there.