July 30 (Reuters) – Magnum Ice Cream reported half-year core earnings above market expectations on Thursday, driven by cost cuts following its December spin-off from Unilever, and said trading remained strong at the start of the key summer season.
Sales of Ben & Jerry’s grew 9.2% in the second quarter of 2026, outperforming the broader market in North America and gaining market share, Magnum said.
“Our key summer selling season got off to a strong start,” CEO Peter ter Kulve said in a press release. “We grew and gained share in all regions, including the U.S., our biggest market.”
Magnum’s Amsterdam listing has been seen as a test of its ability to boost sales of its Cornetto cones and Ben & Jerry’s ice creams at a time when GLP-1 weight-loss drugs reshape consumer tastes and as the Trump administration promotes a “Make America Healthy Again” campaign in the United States.
The group cited supply-chain and corporate-transformation cost reductions as drivers of first-half earnings growth.
Its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation rose to €880 million ($1.0 billion) from €853 million a year ago. That beat analysts’ consensus of €843 million provided by the company.
($1 = 0.8735 euros)
(Reporting by Dimitri Rhodes in Gdansk, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak and Matt Scuffham)
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