Gelato Messina: Frozen treat giant coming to northern beaches, but will have gallons of creamy competition
A frozen treat vendor, with a cult-like following, is headed to the northern beaches, but it faces cupfuls of competition from established ice cream chain stores.
Manly
Don't miss out on the headlines from Manly. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Those premium purveyors of sweet frozen treats — Gelato Messina — are set to open an outlet on the northern beaches.
The popular food retailer, with the cult-like customer following, has leased premises in the heart of Manly, just off The Corso.
But when it opens its doors later this year, it will be one of seven gelato, ice cream or frozen yoghurt chain stores crammed into the seaside suburb’s CBD.
On The Corso alone there is Royal Cophehagen ice creams, Yougurberry frozen yoghurt, Anita Gelato and Baskin & Robbins ice cream.
Over on Manly Wharf the Gelatissimo gelato bar has been popular with ferry travellers for years.
And then there’s Ben & Jerry’s ice creams on South Steyne.
In the same vein, a chocolate fondue and acai place, ChocoBowl, has recently opened on Sydney Rd.
Despite the creamy competition in Manly, Gelato Messina, which opened its first store in Darlinghurst in 2002, reckons it will do well. It now has 16 outlets in NSW as well as offerings in Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.
A spokeswoman for the business said it had been looking for an appropriate location in Manly for some time.
It will take over the lease of the shop at the corner of Sydney Rd and Market Ln, where the Attik women’s clothing store closed in July this year.
And it’s not worried about the competition.
“We just concentrate on the quality of our product,” the spokeswoman said.
“We’re pretty confident that it’s good so we look for sites where we know our customers want us to be.
“There’s obviously a lot of ice cream in Manly, but we’re pretty confident that people will be interested in our product as well.”
The reason Gelato Messina took so long to come to Manly, according to the spokeswoman, is that it had been waiting to find a site “we’re really happy with.
“Location wise, this one will do well for us in terms of trade.
“We’re hoping to open before Christmas, perhaps in the next eight weeks or so.”
‘Fun police’: Popular takeaway coffee van in council stoush
Whinging from one narky local has prompted a Sydney seaside council to ban a popular outdoor coffee caravan’s ‘dangerous’ tables and chairs. See how the owner reacted.
How Sydney council will spend its 25 per cent rate rise money
After A Sydney council controversially voted to whack residents with a 25 per cent rate rise, budget details have revealed what they’ll spend the cash on next year.