Halloween is an important date in the retail calendar, helping to boost profits ahead of the festivities.
Halloween has established itself as one of the biggest celebrations of the year, giving retailers the opportunity to boost sales ahead of the all-important Christmas season.
Sugar confectionery and sharing snacks will be key for a successful Halloween for retailers, with affordable treats expected to be in big demand for trick-or-treaters, especially during the cost-of-living crisis.
Overall, Halloween spending in the UK was estimated to total £687m last year, according to Forbes, with the seasonal sales having increased year-on-year for over a decade.
Sugar drive
“Halloween is expected to be very profitable for retailers as it’s a highly anticipated event that allows people to enjoy affordable treats,” Clare Newton, Trade Marketing Manager at Swizzels, says. “The cost-of-living crisis has led to a greater desire for affordable treats than ever before which brings sugar confectionery to the forefront as one of the most popular categories.
“Sugar confectionery remains one of the most popular categories for people to treat themselves, especially after not being able to engage in the activities they normally would do, so buying a sugary treat seems like a reasonable and affordable solution to cheer themselves up.”
Swizzels has launched 60g Squashies as an ‘On The Go’ option for shoppers looking for a more portable format of their sweet treats. The company has also introduced new Minions Sherbet Dips with three flavours, including Fizzy Orange, Sour Apple and Tangy Berry.
Bebeto has also seen a sales uplift in treat items and sharing packs bought by families and other households, citing confectionery as a “winning category” for Halloween. “At Bebeto we have seen a massive growth in demand for sharing packs and fun packs as consumers continue to enjoy nights in,” Phil Hulme – Sales Director – Kervan Gida UK, notes.
The brand introduced new 150g sharing bag of Bebeto Spooky Mix last year, containing Halloween-shaped fruity gummies in blackcurrant, apple, orange, and strawberry flavours. “Bebeto Gummy Brains 150g, Bebeto Fizzy Fangs 150g, and Spooky Mix 150g will be available and, to ensure we continue to provide tantalising treats for tricksters, we have our Bebeto Trick or Treat Party Box, which was new for 2022,” Hulme adds.
Snacking opportunity
Confectionery sales can offer a welcome uplift in margins, with sharing snacks performing well in the spooky period.
“Halloween offers retailers an unmissable opportunity to maximise on confectionery sales,” Hancocks explains. “The key to driving these sales is planning early, stocking up and merchandising the lines for optimum visibility in store.”
The company offers prepackaged and portioned Bonds Candy Cups, while new for this year is a range of Candy Realms variants, including Candy Realms Spooky Tubes, Alien Balloons with Popping Candy, Skull Candy Pops and Spooky Mallows.
- Having a great availability of products is key and the visual merchandising aspect of the shopper experience can help maximise sales. Displaying these products in a coherent way, with the correct amount of shelf space per product group and brand, is a fantastic way of piquing consumer interest.
- Making use of smaller spaces, especially near to other occasion-based products, such as crisps and soft drinks, will invite customers to potentially purchase items that they wouldn’t have usually considered, especially when they are purchasing for at-home movie nights for example.
