Irish ice cream business Murphy's Ice Cream expects its sales to be down by over 50% this year, despite its two venues in Dingle and one in Killarney being busier in August and September of this year than they were during the same two months in 2019.
The Irish Independent quotes Murphy's Ice Cream CEO Sean Murphy as saying, "We are talking two months in three of our shops, but overall we are going to lose money this year and our sales will be down more than 50%."
"A Huge Hit"
Murphy said that, as a result of business restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19, the business "missed May, June and half of July, and that is more than half [of its] peak season basically gone", and stated, "It was a huge hit."
"Proud"
However, Murphy added, "We will lose real money, but far less than I expected when COVID hit. We will lost an amount that we will survive.
"I am proud of what we have done, even though we will show a loss this year. The team has pulled together strongly and we have made it through well."
2019 Accounts
According to Murphy, the company's total revenues in 2019 were a little less than €2.5 million.
New 2019 accounts for the company indicate that lost revenues from the initial COVID-19 lockdown cost Murphy's Ice Cream an estimated €880,000.
Looking Ahead
Commenting on his outlook for 2021, Murphy said, "I’m more confident now than at various crisis points we had before by a long way. It is going to be incredibly tight and challenging, but we have the people around us to get us through."
Murphy's Ice Cream Locations
In addition to its two venues in Dingle and one in Killarney, Murphy's Ice Cream operates outlets in Galway and on Dublin's Wicklow Street.
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