WILMINGTON — Wilmington’s premier outdoor shopping complex will be welcoming a new national brand ice cream shop to its streets in 2026.
Ben and Jerry’s is opening at 951 International Dr. where the former Cold Stone Creamery was located; Cold Stone closed in fall 2025. No date has been revealed for the Ben and Jerry’s opening.
“We’re thrilled to be joining the Wilmington community and opening our doors at Mayfaire,” multi-unit franchise owner Antonio McBroom said in a release. “Wilmington’s vibrant culture, strong sense of community, and love for great food make it the perfect place for our next scoop shop. We can’t wait to serve smiles, sundaes, and a little extra joy this spring.”
There are more than 500 Ben and Jerry’s shops in operation, with the closest locations in Emerald Isle and Myrtle Beach. The brand has become known for its fun-named flavors, including Cherry Garcia and Half Baked. Shops serve more than scoops and also make shakes, sundaes, cakes, pints and more.
The nearly 50-year brand brought in $1.2 billion in sales in 2024. Vermont-based, the ice creamery started with a $12,000 investment in an old gas station in 1978 from founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield and has garnered a worldwide following since.
Unilever acquired Ben and Jerry’s for $326 million in 2000, though last year it separated the ice cream brand into The Magnum Ice Cream Company, also covering Talenti, Klondike and Breyers, among others. The move came after the company and its board and founders butted heads over Ben and Jerry’s social justice mission. The brand was founded on values-led missions, centered on community, activism and sustainability.
As part of Unilever’s shared purchase agreement, an independent board would see through the company’s social agenda; the company has paired up with NAACP, International Rescue Committee, and the Advancement Project to support causes for racial justice, refugee rights and criminal justice reform. For example, Ben and Jerry’s has launched flavors like “Save Our Swirled” in support of 2015 Paris climate meetings, “I Dough, I Dough” to celebrate same-sex marriage in the U.S. and “Home Sweet Honeycomb” backing refugees that resettled in Europe.
A few years ago the board and co-founders Cohen and Greenfield expressed support for Palestine in the Israel conflict, advocating a ceasefire. The board announced a desire to stop sales in the Occupied Palestinian Territory though Unilever issued a license to continue moving the product in Israel and its settlements. Last summer, a “resistance” flavor in support of peace in Palestine was blocked by Unilever, according to reports.
Lawsuits were filed between the independent board and the parent company, with claims of Unilever breaching its purchase agreement, attempting to muzzle the board and ousting the CEO last year without having authority to do so.
Founders Cohen and Greenfield — the latter of whom resigned from the brand last fall — have been outspoken about the unfolding events eroding the brand’s founding three-pronged mission: social advocacy, product strength and financial growth. They are advocating for Magnum to allow Ben and Jerry’s to become an independent company again with stronger socially-conscious investors.
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