Southend's most famous brand name, Rossi's ice cream, is on the market with a price tag of £2.5million.

The 114-year-old business is being marketed as a going concern by Dedman Commercial in Southchurch Road, Southend, because its current owners want to retire.

Included in the sale is the ice cream factory in Lucy Road, the brand name, the famous secret recipe and the fleet of ice cream vans.

Mike Gray, managing director of Dedman, said: "This is a unique opportunity for a young entrepreneur to acquire a business which has grown up with Southend and is synonymous with the town.

Rossi's is the envy of many other seaside resorts and the name is known, not only locally but nationally.

"For many visitors to Southend, the first port of call is to find somewhere in the town to get a Rossi's.

"People don't talk about ice cream in Southend, they talk about Rossi's."

The current owner Reg Di-Mascio and his wife are both over retirement age and want to spend some time enjoying their life after having run the business for many years.