Peel it? Watch it melt? Experience-based ice cream makes its debut at AEON's frozen food specialty store '@FROZEN'!

Starting Monday, April 13, 2026, AEON Retail will begin a full-scale rollout of two 'experience-based' ice cream products—GOLD STAR Co., Ltd.'s 'Peelable Banana Bar' and 'Vero-Vero Bar'—at its '@FROZEN' frozen food specialty stores across the Tohoku, Kanto, Tokai, and Kinki regions.

These products offer a new kind of 'exciting ice cream time' through dynamic experiences such as 'peeling,' 'melting,' and 'transforming,' as well as changes in appearance and texture.

In recent years, the ice cream and sweets market has seen a growing emphasis on the 'experience' itself, beyond traditional values like taste and price. With the rise of social media and video platforms, there is increasing interest in products that can be enjoyed with all five senses, as people share the joy of the eating process and the visual changes that occur.

In response, '@FROZEN' is launching these experience-based ice creams as a new value proposition to 'enrich the time spent eating.' The products feature changes in appearance and texture over time, making the process of eating them an enjoyable journey. The 'Peelable Banana Bar' incorporates the playful concept of peeling the fruit, mimicking the shape of a real banana while offering a soft, jelly-like exterior and a rich, creamy banana-flavored center. Meanwhile, the 'Vero-Vero Bar' is a new type of ice cream bar that transforms from a frozen treat into a chewy jelly-like texture. It is designed to resist melting quickly and offers a unique, chewy mouthfeel and a translucent appearance.

Both products propose a new ice cream experience that engages the five senses. We hope to bring a new way to enjoy the process of eating, perfect for family gatherings or a little daily treat.

≪Examples of Available Products≫

■ Peelable Banana Bar

A playful, experience-based banana ice cream that you peel before eating. It resembles a real banana, with a soft, jelly-like exterior and a rich, smooth banana flavor inside. It is a new type of ice cream that enriches the eating experience. *The peel is also edible.

Price: 158 yen (170.64 yen including tax)

■ Vero-Vero Bar (Strawberry)

An experience-based ice cream with a new concept where the texture changes as you eat. It starts as a cool ice cream and transitions into a chewy, jelly-like texture with a refreshing, sweet strawberry flavor that fills your mouth. It offers a perfect balance of sweetness and fruitiness.

Price: 158 yen (170.64 yen including tax)

■ Vero-Vero Bar (Apple)

A new type of experience-based ice cream where the texture evolves. It begins with a crisp, cool icy texture and gradually softens into a jelly-like consistency, harmonizing the refreshing apple flavor with a chewy mouthfeel. Its translucent appearance and light finish make it a refreshing treat until the very last bite.

Price: 158 yen (170.64 yen including tax)

【Sales Overview】

Launch Date: Starting Monday, April 13, 2026

Participating Stores: 19 '@FROZEN' stores in the Tohoku, Kanto, Tokai, and Kinki regions.

【Reference】 About '@FROZEN'

'@FROZEN' is one of Japan's largest frozen food specialty stores, created with the concept of 'transforming the Japanese food scene and creating new food styles through frozen foods.' Focusing on five dining scenes—breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and sweets—the store offers a wide range of authentic flavors and international dishes for both daily use and special occasions, earning popularity among a wide range of customers, including dual-income households, seniors, singles, and Gen Z.