How Much Profit Can You Make This Summer? (2026 Guide)

A commercial ice cream freezer keeps products at the legally required -18°C while maximising impulse sales through open-top or glass-lid display. This guide covers every type, the running costs, and which model suits your business — with real prices.

The Met Office has forecast that 2026 is on track to be one of the hottest years on record, with UK summer temperatures expected to run above average — particularly across South and East England.

For most people, that’s a weather story. For convenience store owners, it’s a revenue story.

Ice cream is the highest-margin impulse product most shops can stock. It doesn’t require a licence. It doesn’t go out of date overnight. It sells itself the moment the sun comes out. The only thing standing between you and that profit is having the right freezer in the right spot.

This post runs the numbers honestly — what a commercial ice cream freezer actually costs, what you can realistically make, and how quickly it pays for itself.

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The Market Opportunity Right Now

The UK ice cream market hit £1.6 billion in 2025 — a 12.7% increase year on year, according to the Ice Cream Alliance. And the fastest growing channel wasn’t supermarkets. It was convenience stores, up 16.5%.

Ice cream isn’t a nice-to-have for your shop. It’s the anchor of your entire frozen category. If you’re not stocking it properly, you’re handing that sale to the shop down the road.

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The Profit Maths — Let’s Run the Numbers

This is what most suppliers won’t spell out clearly. Here it is in plain English.

Impulse ice cream — individually wrapped products like Magnums, Cornettos, Calippos — typically carries a 50–70% gross margin at retail. The standard trade markup is a minimum of 100% on your wholesale cost.

Here’s what that looks like for a single freezer over one summer:

That’s one product line, one freezer, one summer. Stock a mix of brands and formats — multipacks, premium tubs, kids’ lollies — and the numbers go up significantly.

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What Does a Freezer Actually Cost to Buy and Run?

Let’s tackle the upfront question head on.

Purchase cost

Entry-level sliding lid chest freezers start from around £500–£850. A popular choice in this category is the TEFCOLD ST160 hinged glass lid chest freezer, which offers reliable performance for smaller shops. Quality static display units suited to high-footfall shops run £1,200–£2,500 — the TEFCOLD CF700 SL is a well-regarded option at this end of the range. The type you need depends on your space and how much volume you expect to move.

Running costs

A commercial chest freezer typically uses 1–3 kWh per day. At current UK commercial electricity rates of around 28–34p per kWh, that works out at roughly:

Even at the higher end, that’s about £1 a day in electricity. Against £1,404 in summer gross profit from one freezer, the running cost is a rounding error. All commercial freezers must maintain a core temperature of -18°C — see the FSA chilling guidance for the full legal requirements.

How fast does it pay back?

The freezer pays for itself in the first summer. Every summer after that — and every autumn and winter as the category grows year-round — is pure profit on top.

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The Five Objections — Answered

Here are the five things that stop shop owners pulling the trigger. Here’s the honest answer to each one.

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Where to Put Your Freezer for Maximum Sales

The freezer placement is as important as the freezer itself. Here’s what the data shows:

The 2pm–5pm window is everything

Peak ice cream buying time is between 2pm and 5pm — after school, after work, during the afternoon warmth. Your freezer needs to be visible and accessible during this window. If it’s hidden at the back of the shop or behind a queue, you’re losing sales.

Open top vs. glass lid

Impulse open-top freezers — where customers can reach straight in — outperform closed units for impulse sales. The barrier of opening a lid loses you sales. Sliding glass lid units are better for managed take-home stock where you want temperature stability.

Eye-level branding matters

Keep the branding visible. Magnum’s yellow and black packaging is one of the most recognisable in UK retail. If customers can see it, they’ll buy it. If it’s buried or the freezer is poorly lit, they won’t think to ask.

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Your Summer 2026 Ice Cream Checklist

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Which Commercial Ice Cream Freezer Is Right for Your Shop?

FridgeSmart stocks the full range. Here’s a quick guide to which type suits which shop:

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Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about which ice cream freezer is right for your shop? Call the FridgeSmart team on 01792 677169 or email hello@fridgesmart.co.uk — we’re happy to help.