Streets

Streets is an Australian ice-cream brand founded by Edwin “Ted” Street and his wife, Daisy, in 1920 in Corrimal, New South Wales. The business developed from a local ice-cream operation into a large-scale Australian manufacturer and distributor. Its early expansion included the establishment of a distribution depot at Bexley and later a factory in Turrella, in Sydney’s south-west, where Streets products were manufactured for much of the twentieth century. The brand’s most important historic product introduction was Paddle Pop, launched in 1953. Paddle Pop became one of Australia’s best-known ice-cream products and a major contributor to Streets’ mass-market identity. By the end of the twentieth century, more than ninety million Paddle Pop units had reportedly been sold. The product’s broad availability and strong association with children’s confectionery helped make Streets a familiar household brand in Australia. Streets was acquired by Unilever in 1960, bringing the Australian business into the portfolio of a major international consumer-goods company. In the early 1980s, Streets also acquired AMSCOL, an Adelaide-based ice-cream company founded in 1922. These transactions expanded the brand’s industrial and market position within Australia. In 1996, manufacturing moved from the Turrella factory to a newer facility in Minto. The Minto site has remained associated with production of many cream-based Streets products, while some water-based products are manufactured in China and shipped to Australia and New Zealand. Streets operates within the international Heartbrand architecture, a shared ice-cream identity used by related Unilever ice-cream brands in different markets. The wider portfolio has included brands such as Wall’s, HB Ice Cream, Good Humor, GB Glace, Selecta, Kibon and Algida. Streets therefore combines local Australian brand recognition with multinational ownership and manufacturing, sourcing and distribution arrangements. The company’s Australian portfolio has also included the Weis brand. In 2017, Unilever acquired Weis from its family owners and brought it under the Streets umbrella, broadening Streets’ presence beyond traditional impulse ice creams into packaged frozen desserts and fruit-based products associated with the Weis name. Streets has also been involved in industrial-relations controversy. In 2017, Unilever sought to terminate an enterprise agreement covering factory workers and return them to award conditions. The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union argued that the proposed changes could reduce some employees’ pay by as much as 46 percent and called for a consumer boycott. A settlement was negotiated in November 2017. The dispute highlighted the tension between Streets’ continuing Australian manufacturing presence and the cost and employment policies of its multinational owner. Today, Streets remains an active Australian ice-cream brand under The Magnum Ice Cream Company, the ice-cream business that owns the former Unilever ice-cream portfolio. Its market identity rests on widely distributed impulse products, family-oriented frozen treats and enduring Australian associations, while its manufacturing footprint and ownership structure reflect a globalized food business.

Streets began in 1920 when Edwin “Ted” Street and Daisy Street established an ice-cream business in Corrimal, New South Wales. From this local base, the company built distribution infrastructure, including a depot at Bexley, before opening a manufacturing facility in Turrella in Sydney. The Turrella plant served as the principal production site for decades and helped Streets develop from a regional producer into a nationally recognized Australian ice-cream business. A major turning point came in 1953 with the introduction of Paddle Pop. The product became a defining part of Streets’ identity and one of the country’s most recognizable impulse ice creams. Its long-term popularity gave Streets a strong presence among children and families and helped establish the company as a mass-market rather than purely regional producer. Unilever purchased Streets in 1960. Under Unilever ownership, the brand became part of a larger international ice-cream network while retaining its Australian name and market identity. Streets later expanded through the acquisition of AMSCOL, an Adelaide-based ice-cream business founded in 1922, during the early 1980s. Manufacturing was reorganized in 1996, when production moved from Turrella to a new facility in Minto. Cream-based products have generally been associated with the Minto operation, whereas some water-based products are produced in China and imported into Australia and New Zealand. This division reflects the combination of domestic manufacturing and international supply chains within the modern Streets business. Streets uses the Heartbrand logo shared by related ice-cream businesses in multiple countries. The portfolio relationship connects Streets with brands including Wall’s, HB Ice Cream, Good Humor, GB Glace, Selecta, Kibon and Algida, although individual brand names and products vary by market. Streets’ historical visual identity also included a badge-style logo with the word “Streets” over vertical red and white stripes, used in forms dating from the 1960s through the late 1990s. In 2017, Unilever acquired Weis from its family owners and placed the brand under the Streets umbrella. The transaction expanded Streets’ Australian frozen-dessert portfolio. The same year, Streets became the subject of an employment dispute when Unilever sought to terminate an enterprise agreement for factory workers and return them to award conditions. The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union warned of potential pay cuts of up to 46 percent and promoted a boycott. The dispute was settled in November 2017. Streets is now owned by The Magnum Ice Cream Company and remains part of the Heartbrand family. Its business combines Australian heritage, high-volume impulse products, domestic and overseas production, and distribution through a multinational ice-cream group.

• 2017

  Weis joins the Streets portfolio

  [1]Streets (ice cream)en.wikipedia.org

  Unilever acquires the family-owned Weis brand and places it under the Streets umbrella.

• 2017

  Employment dispute is settled

  [1]Streets (ice cream)en.wikipedia.org

  Following a dispute over factory wages and conditions, a settlement is negotiated in November.

• 1996

  Production moves to Minto

  [1]Streets (ice cream)en.wikipedia.org

  Manufacturing moves from the Turrella factory to a new facility in Minto.

• 1980

  AMSCOL is acquired

  [1]Streets (ice cream)en.wikipedia.org

  During the early 1980s, Streets purchases AMSCOL, an Adelaide ice-cream company founded in 1922.

• 1960

  Unilever acquires Streets

  [1]Streets (ice cream)en.wikipedia.org

  The Australian ice-cream company is purchased by Unilever.

• 1953

  Paddle Pop is introduced

  [1]Streets (ice cream)en.wikipedia.org

  Streets launches Paddle Pop, which becomes a central product in the brand’s Australian portfolio.

• 1920

  Streets is founded in Corrimal

  [1]Streets (ice cream)en.wikipedia.org

  Edwin “Ted” Street and Daisy Street establish the ice-cream business in Corrimal, New South Wales.

A mass-market Australian ice-cream brand combining familiar family and impulse products with the scale, distribution and portfolio resources of a global ice-cream company.

• ice cream · 1953

  Paddle Pop

  Paddle Pop is Streets’ signature impulse ice-cream product, introduced in 1953. It became one of the brand’s most recognizable offerings in Australia and was especially associated with children, family purchasing and convenience-store or freezer-cabinet distribution. More than ninety million units were reportedly sold by the end of the twentieth century, making it a key contributor to Streets’ mass-market identity.

• frozen desserts

  Weis

  Weis is an Australian frozen-dessert brand acquired by Unilever in 2017 and brought under the Streets umbrella. Its inclusion broadened Streets’ portfolio beyond traditional impulse ice creams and connected the business with packaged frozen desserts associated with the Weis name. Specific product availability and formulation may vary by market and period.

• ice cream

  Streets cream-based products

  Streets’ cream-based range represents the brand’s conventional dairy-style ice-cream manufacturing. Most cream-based products are associated with production at the Minto facility in New South Wales, while the overall portfolio is distributed through the Australian and New Zealand markets.

• water-based frozen desserts

  Streets water-based products

  Streets also sells water-based frozen products. Some of these products are manufactured in China and shipped to Australia and New Zealand, illustrating the brand’s combination of local production and international sourcing.

• 2017

  Acquisition of WeisM&A

  Background

  Unilever sought to expand its Australian frozen-dessert portfolio by acquiring the previously family-owned Weis brand.

  Action taken

  Unilever acquired Weis and brought it under the Streets brand umbrella.

  Aftermath

  The transaction broadened Streets’ portfolio to include the Weis brand alongside its established ice-cream products.

  Source

• 2017

  Attempt to change factory employment conditionsStrategy

  Background

  Unilever applied to the Fair Work Commission to terminate the enterprise agreement covering Streets factory workers.

  Action taken

  The company sought to return workers to award conditions, prompting opposition from the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union.

  Aftermath

  The union warned of potential pay reductions of up to 46 percent, called for a consumer boycott, and a settlement was negotiated in November 2017.

  Source

1. 1Streets (ice cream)en.wikipedia.org