Heartbreak as beloved UK ice cream shop closes - family business since 1923

Heartbreak as beloved UK ice cream shop closes - family business since 1923The shop, which sold the 'best ice cream in the country', shut for good over the weekend, leaving locals devastated. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments By Toby Codd 09:41, Mon, Jun 1, 2026 Updated: 09:42, Mon, Jun 1, 2026 The iconic ice cream shop closed on Saturday (May 30) (Image: Getty)A beloved family-run ice cream shop has closed after 103 years in business. The iconic business served its final scoops of ice cream over the weekend, with the owners describing the closure as "heartbreaking". window.scriptsToLoad.push({url:'https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=118222&vp_content=plembed3a6btjknzwqh&cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&playerApiId=v118222',triggeredBy:'tcfLoaded',delay:1500,containerId:'ovp-primis',title:"Primis player",beforeLoad:()=>{window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v118222"){if(window.document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}})},}) McGroggan's, located in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, was founded by Hugh and Annie McGroggan in 1922. It was owned by four generations of the family over the years, winning a number of awards and becoming known for its homemade ice cream and special raspberry sauce. However, a drop in footfall and soaring costs forced the McGroggan family to make the difficult decision to close the shop for good on Saturday (May 30). Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Get the day's biggest headlines in UK and World news and more Subscribe Invalid emailWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy PolicyThey said in a post on social media: "After a remarkable 103-year journ...