Earlier this month, Food Manufacture revealed that ice cream supplier Joe Delucci’s Ltd had appointed liquidators.
Managing directors and insolvency practitioners Andrew Watling and Duncan Beat from business advisory firm Quantuma, were appointed as liquidators for the West Midlands-based business on 25 September 2025.
The company has had a number of administrations over the last few years, with this latest turn of events said to be a result of incidents occurring in 2023.
Established in 2022, Joe Delucci traded as a wholesaler but also operated an ice cream parlour in Westfield shopping centre. Two other sites in Brent Cross and Brighton were operated by franchisees.
In a statement, Quantuma said: “The Company’s financial difficulties are initially attributable to events arising in 2023, including additional costs incurred when relocating its head office, as well as a wet summer, resulting in reduced sales.
“Other contributing factors were a reduced footfall in the Westfield shopping centre, along with increased costs, such as raises in wages and National Insurance.”
The Westfield ice cream parlour closed in May, owning to it being ‘increasingly unsustainable’. Head office staff were made redundant prior to the liquidation. The wholesale and franchising operations were also sold prior to the liquidation.
“It is deeply regrettable that Joe Delucci’s has been forced to cease trading, due to a series of challenging circumstances,” said Quantuma managing director and joint liquidator Andrew Watling.
“As Joint Liquidators, our immediate priorities have been to provide appropriate support to those whose jobs have been affected, whilst seeking to obtain maximum value for the Company’s creditors.”
Whilst spending on ice cream saw ‘significant growth’ in 2024, research from AHDB suggests this has been a result of inflationary prices rather than sales, with units down -4.4%.
“The latest news reinforces how difficult the UK food and drink manufacturing sector is, and the impact factors outside the immediate control of a business operator can have,” industry consultant and CEO of Prof Consulting Group, Mark Field, told Food Manufacture.
“Whilst the business looks to have tried to mitigate its mainstream retail exposure through an ice cream parlour model (diversification, drive volume, and lower operating costs through efficiencies) the challenges have been too great. The business has struggled over recent years operating in one of the more challenging retail categories of ice cream, where consumer demands have changed rapidly.”
