North East ice cream business invests £90k in refurbishment and jobs

A North East ice cream business has announced that it has invested £90k in refurbishment and job stabilisation.

Beckleberry’s, based in Gateshead, has refurbished its store and pivoted to create selection boxes that it could deliver to its customers.

It used the fleet of refrigerated vans that it already had to deliver its products to customers within a 10 mile radius.

In pivoting its business, the company has preserved 20 manufacturing jobs and 5 retail jobs, despite a 97 per cent loss of sales during lockdown.

David Craig, co-director of Beckleberry’s, commented: “Fostering improved local ties has been a top Beckleberry’s objective for some while now, however with the growth of our airline business, the steady churn of nationwide hotel, restaurant and export orders, it was a priority that had slid down our ever expanding to-do list.

“Today our local following has grown so significantly that we’ve even decided to extensively revamp our much revered flagship scoop shop (opens mid-August) to provide some much needed dessert elation and exuberance in these increasingly uncertain times.”