Half a million pounds has been set aside by Nottingham City Council so it can buy ice cream to be sold at the Theatre Royal. It says ice cream is "an important and valued part of the traditional customer experience" and will bring in significant income once put up for resale.
The authority has confirmed a £500,000 spend for the procurement of ice cream provision over three to five years. It will be used by the council-run Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall (TRCH) and the museums and heritage services.
The Theatre Royal and Concert Hall, which lost a significant portion of its income at the height of the pandemic, hosts roughly 675 performances every year and it attracts audiences in excess of 600,000 people. The museums services run Wollaton Hall and Newstead Abbey which together bring in more than one million visitors a year.
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As such the council says it hopes the spend will allow more income to be generated through the sale of ice creams at these sites, particularly in the warmer seasons and during shows at the theatre. The contract will be offered to the successful bidding ice cream provider.
The council says: "[The] other option considered was to not offer the provision of ices for sale at the Theatre Royal and Concert Hall. This was not taken forward as a viable option as the sales of ice creams create a significant supporting income for both TRCH and museums and heritage sites.
"The approved medium term financial plan (MTFP), includes a budgeted income target for the Museums service of £2.835m, and a budgeted net income target for the theatre and concert hall of £5.064m. Within these income targets are an expectation of sales for catering including the provision of ice cream.
"Failure to achieve these income targets would give rise to an overspend position. The approved supplier will need to meet each service area's operational needs in terms of range of products, and timely deliveries to meet customer demand and to maximise income generation."
