‘Sunset industry’:Singapore’s ice cream uncles could disappear within 5 to 10 years as ageing hawkers retire
Not the ice cream uncle! Not another piece of Singapore nostalgia! 😭 This article ( ‘Sunset industry’:Singapore’s ice cream uncles could disappear within 5 to 10 years as ageing hawkers retire ) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News .
Singapore's traditional ice cream vendors, known as "ice cream uncles," may vanish within the next five to ten years due to an ageing population of hawkers, according to industry professionals. Mr Greg, a spokesman for ice cream supplier Chip Guan Heng, described the ice cream trade as a "sunset industry" and acknowledged that the industry has been gradually declining due to retirement of many hawkers.
One of the biggest challenges for the trade is the lack of new street hawking licences being issued. As older hawkers retire, the number of ice cream uncles has shrunk, with only 135 licenses issued as of January 2026. Many ice cream uncles, some as old as 80, plan to continue selling ice cream as long as they can, but this could become increasingly difficult due to difficulty transporting supplies and thin profit margins.
The loss of this nostalgic food industry has saddened some Singaporeans, who view the ice cream uncles as a vital part of the country's culture.
Written by urgent.news from The Independent Singapore's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
