Whippy Ice Cream

Hi everyone.  I for one will be coming out to live in Spain early next year,  I also seen the MacDonald programme on Friday and like many others in the UK we don't give a hoot, it's gotta be better living in Spain than rip off Britain.

Anyway a couple of weeks ago on my first introduction web I asked for help on either purchasing in the UK or possibly in Spain a Ice Cream Van.  I had some fantastic responses even the web address of Senor Whippy who apparently has the monopoly of Ice Cream Vans in southern Spain.  Unfortunately, I have sent several emails but they have never responded. 

So it's back to you people.  If I was to drive a van over to Spain, what are the rules and regulations for selling Whippy Ice Cream?  What permits do I require, can I purchase the Whippy ingredients locally (Alicante).  The investment required is many thousands pounds, so doing the right homework is a must.

I have already contacted the British Consolate in Alicante, but alas they have never returned my emails.  I'm sure there is somebody who is a member of EOS has all the information I require.

Mike

Hi Mike,

I was reading your posts regarding the ice cream van business and wondered how you got on in the end?  I'm looking into something similar but in Southern Spain instead.  

Hopefully, you are in Spain now and living the dream!

Natasha

Hi all

For other thread see Mr Wippy Ice Cream (Click blue link)

Hi Natasha

Good for you to have actually decided on a business idea rather than arriving here first and then finding there is no way to earn any money.

I note that Mike's idea was to drive a van over from UK.  If you do go ahead this is probably not the best or most economical way to do it as you would be obliged to re-register it here which can be very expensive (there are quite a lot of posts about this in the Moving to/living in Spain sections of this site.)  As it would be a business vehicle you have to be particularly careful to abide by all the rules as they confiscate business vehicles which are not properly registered and/or impose large fines. I can't imagine that buying a left hand drive vehicle  here should not be any more expensive and would be worry-free.

Hi All,

I am shocked to still read of people thinking they can bring over a UK ice cream van (or any commercial vehicle) and re register it in Spain. The fact is no matter what any person says you cant. Most people on this blog are giving what they believe to be genuine advice but have obviously never tried to register any foriegn commercial vehicle.

Also as I have said previously that despite the fact that some people are selling ice cream on the street it is illegal to do so.

The police are now catching up with people who decided to ignore Spainsh law and use illegal vehicles or trade illegally. Several people have now been forced to remove their vehicles from the country or have them crushed.

The only way you can trade legally in Spain is on legal Spanish Markets. You need a licence for each market and the amount of paper work required can be daunting.

As for people recommending Senior Whippy and them having the franchise for ice cream traders on the Costa Blanca this is absolute rubbish. People should read the posts relating to this company.

I would suggest that any person thinking of starting an ice cream business checks all the threads on this site relating to this topic.

hi all new to the site & like many before me i am planning to move to Spain Playa Flamenca to be presise like Spain Ireland (where im from) loves paperwork & permits not to mention application fees levies & admin fees!! we Irish Italians & Spanish love paperwork & hassel!!! we are looking to either open an ice cream parlor or ice cream van iv rad your posts & think your right about paperwork but im looking for a simple business with low overheads & im prepared to put the leg work in before hand. other than the infamous senor whippy is there anywhere else i can get a van???

cheers

Rachel

After walking around "St Georges" festival at Play Flamenca yesterday, I did notice there were about 4 ice cream vans. I would maybe suggest you look into this area for your proposed business as you may have a lot of competition. Not to mention the climate around this area which is not good!

Regards.

John

Hi John - I was at the market yesterday and sampled one of the Whippy cones - cost 2€ but was great!  Not sure what you meant about the climate though as it was about 25 degrees when I was there.

Rachel - welcome to the forum!  Playa Flamenca is a lovely area but, as you say you will need to love paperwork to start a business here.  It is really hard to find a good idea that you can make money with - with or without a lot of start up costs.  I am in a big development and I think in high summer there is an ice cream van comes around but am not sure.  We also have a Family Frost van which comes once a week with a full range of frozen food and although they are quite expensive I think they will do well with ice cream and ice lollies in the summer.

Good luck and I do hope you find something that will generate some income for you.

In response to HJDAGGER,

One of the chaps who lives near to me has a landscaping business and has a right hand drive transit style van.

He was told by the local police that it was illegal and he could not register it in the Alicante province and cited "lack of driver visability", however if he crossed the border into Murcia it was no problem. He consequently registered and ITV'd the vehicle in Murcia and now drives around with a fully legal RHD van.

This was 12 months ago and I know that rules and regulations can change over night , but it is an avenue worth exploring if you find yourself in this situation.

claire t

I meant the economic climate!!!!!!!!!

PS: i hope your not blonde and from Essex like my wife!!!!! (oopppss)

John

Hi John - the heat must be getting to me!

I'm grey and from Glasgow but I don't think that's any excuse!

Grey haired women from Glasgow are all the rage at the moment, in case you haven't heard?

Roberto!  You say the nicest things!!

Hi all THANKS SO MUCH TO Jon, Harry, & Claire for all your helpful posts much appreciated sorry i havent been in touch sooner but Iv had my area manager over from the UK for the last week!!! Boy did she ware me out I manage a Cath Kidston store but you would swear we were saving lives Im soooo looking forward to my new life in the sun & Hopefully my new less stress ice cream business!!!! Finers crossed we sell the house soon & get going asap!!

My partner is an Electrical engineer & also a qualified Electrician does anyone know if he would get much work around the area he is also really good at fixing computers & is qualified in CAD would he have a problem getting work???

again cheers all x

Rachel,

If your husband needs work when you come out, please try to learn the language asap or you will be limited to working / competing with expats for whatever work is about, and that is not much at the moment!

By the way I saw an ice cream van on El Raso in Guardamar yesterday.

Steve

Hello Rachel,

Sorry to burst your bubble but you could be a Brain Surgeon out here but there is no work.  We have been here 5 years with my family living here too but work has dried up and people are returning to the UK daily.  My brother is an Electrical Engineer and has been fortunate to find work for the last few years (on and off) but since the end of last year there has been hardly any work.  Also, you need to be registered to be an Electrian out here with a European regulations qualification.

When you work legally out here (self employed) you have to pay your taxes every month whether you have work or not.  This is roughly 250 euros a month which is ok if you are working but it´s an extra burden if you have no work.

Whatever you decide good luck.

Thank a million for your honest posts. But Ireland has been much worse affected in this whole  recession than anywhere else & our government has slapped huge taxes on us €250 wouldnt get a couple a night out in Ireland let alone anything else its about 1 weeks tax for me (thats not including social insurance) & Im not in a high paid job just average. We both plan to do the ice cream van but he was just thinking about extra work to stave off possible boredom? we originally had our own Property business here we used to contract ourselves to Developers to pre-snag their units for them & we offered a snagging & interior design service. I also offered Project management services for large residential developments as I have a construction/estate agent background this went well with my hubbys Electrical engineering background & we did extreemly well for a long time & made a great name for ourselves but there is nothing now, even my job in the shop is looking doubtful!!! so hopefully ice cream will still sell in Spain??

thanks for the reality check its good to hear all angles & all information

cheers x

well rachelmoving if you really want to go to spain  by all means go,but in my opinion and its only my opinion, to do business in spain is the last thing i would advise ,the spanish are the laziest,unreliable.over regulated,decietful, corrupt,greediest people i have ever met,one rule for you might not apply to someone else in the same business,and thats saying something as i am also from ireland.i have a business in spain and i am going to ged rid of it as soon as possible.Please please try spain before moving as it is really not the the nirvana many people think it is.

Hi Yarp - I do know what you mean and, although I am determined to stay here and try to make a living, it is not easy.  If you are non-Spanish there are separate rules and you are never going to compete on a level playing field.  This area is totally anti-business and they do not seem to mind that their policies are leading to so many business closures and a subsequent loss of income for the town hall. 

A group of us want to buy an old finca and set up an art gallery and cafe in the countryside and we have been told that you are not allowed to run a business in the country!  Everywhere you look there are ruined farmhouses and the authorities seem to be happy to let them rot rather than allow them to become productive businesses which would enhance the area and bring some money to the council at the same time!  However, I am a pretty stubborn person and am still hopeful we will find a way!

Rachel - I took the opportunity to have a chat with our local Mr Whippy people and they said not to even consider it!  (I said it was for another area so they weren't saying this due to fears about competition.)  They said that they had brought a van over from the UK and had to send it back as the authorities were going to have it crushed - there is no way to convert a UK van here.  They then had to buy a spanish van and send it to the UK to be fitted out - work that one out if you can!!  They have constant problems with supplies and getting licences and the Family Frost vans took a lot of their business last summer with their cheap packs of ice lollies.  They advised not to touch it with a barge pole!!

I think that you really need to come over and see for yourself what it is like here before you commit to any kind of business.  Rent a property and have a really good look around, talk to the town hall about licences, talk to locals about demand etc, before you spend anything.

Having said all that, I love Spain and have no intention of going back - I have made some lovely spanish friends and think that spanish people are not all as bad as Yarp makes out - the ones he's talking about all seem to work for the town hall!

Regards

Mike, I hate to rain on your parade but I would recommend you read through all the stuff on this thread about commercial vans and licenses to sell. It is a minefield.

A number of interesting posts,

personally think the cost of living in Spain to still be far below that of the UK,s major cities, am intrigued how 50% of the market stalls are able with or without licenses (HJDAGGER POST) are able to sell complete rip offs from watches down to ralph lauren polo,s!

Think like any business it will generally take 3 yrs plus to establish so a fall back plan is never a bad idea.

Despite the grass been greener until you have to mow it! I wish you every success and regardless of outcome at least yopu gave it a shot-remember none of us are in a dress rehearsal for this life thing!

In response to advisor. You are probably aware that all the car boot markets on the Costa Blanca south have been closed. The latest one to be closed was the San Javier autocine Saturday market. It will not reopen until all the stall holders have their correct paperwork. You will not get on to an official ayuntamiento market without all the correct paperwork.

The reason for closing all the car boots is that many of the stall holders were not paying any income tax or national insurance.

When you look more closely at the "rip off" brands you will see that either the name is spelt incorrectly  or the logo is different. This in effect means that they are not "rip offs"as you call them.

In response to Claire T. Jack is the name of the person you spoke to with the ice cream van. Jack traded with an english van for several years on Zoco market near Quesada. He was then told by the police that he had to either remove the van from Spain or face having it crushed. Jack then bought a Spanish cab and chasis and had the body fitted in the UK. jack informed me that he paid €85,000 to buy the van and have it converted to a Mr Whippy van.

My point is this. Jack has worked his ice cream business for many years he knows how profitable it is. He only got his new van last summer. Do you think he would have laid out all that money if his business was not profitable? Perhaps he was trying to put you off the idea.

I agree it is hard to get all the paperwork and as previously mentioned Spanish law states that you can not sell ice cream on the streets. I am aware that there are a couple of people doing this but eventually the police will catch up with them and they will lose their vans.

I have been running an ice cream trailer for over 12 months now and although it took me a very long time to get all the paperwork I did get it eventually. I also have a total of 8 legal Spanish markets. So it can be done but it is not easy.

Must not have caught on at our end of Spain (Duquesa) as yet as all spellings correct!

Presume when the regime you are talking about comes in that all these will then have to go?

hi all

sorry i havent been on in a while iv been working in the uk & not had much internet access.

thanks a million again for all your advise. especially Claire T Yarp & Harry. I think your right harry if i was running an unsucessful business i certainly wouldnt run out to spend €85k on a new van for it & if its so unsucessful where did he get €85k in the first place????? i am going to take the Spanish bull by the horns my house is on the market & we have 2 people bidding already & were dying to get out there. as for the Spanish people that yarp decribed im well aware of them mi Abuela was spanish & my father has lived there for 12 years i have spent a lot of time over there in the last 12yrs & still have cousins in Malaga. not all spaniards are like that just unfortunately the ones that are seem to be the beurocrats. they would rather a spaniard buy these old ruins & convert them & until some spaniard comes along (they will wait the long wait!!) no-one else will convert it. but i like your attitude Claire & i will keep my fingers crossed for you. if you ever do it shout me as my partner is a fantastic artist & wields a mean tea pot!!

as for the presumption i would buy a right hand drive UK van why???????? i think that would be daft from not only a cost factor but from a paperwork & logistics factor & not to mention driver visability!!! im happy to drive left hand drive after all i am moving to a country that drives on the right ;-)

harry if you would like to pop an e-mail to me that would be great as were still really keen & i hope the grandchild is doing well,

cheers guys x