Halloween celebrations prompt fiendishly fine confectionery ranges
Spooky themed chocolates and sweets marking Halloween have remained a firm favourite with British consumers, according to latest research from Mintel.
The organisation’s findings from 2017 showed that 40% of UK households offered confectionery to ‘trick or treat’ visitors as part of party celebrations with friends and family.
Last year, a total of £419 million was spent on marking the occasion, which was up 5% on the previous Halloween, as the event continues to grow in popularity and is celebrated around the world, with the US and Britain among key hotspots.
Manufacturers have been quick to respond with special edition sweets including Nestlé producing a Scaries Smarties in autumn brown and orange, representing a first for the brand.
Meanwhile, Cadbury has released its Goo Heads series, which is available in skeleton, pumpkin, Frankenstein, Dracula or were-wolf variants. The creepy creations are each filled with gooey white fondant encased in a Cadbury chocolate shell.
For its part, Tangerine Confectionery has created its 450g branded Barratt Halloween Bucket that includes Refresher Rolls, Dip Dabs, Mini Wham Bars, Mini Fruit Salad Bars, and individual 30g bags of Dolly Mix, Cola Bottles, and Shrimps and Bananas.
There has also been plenty of creativity from artisan confectionery producers, with many local confectioners and bakery stores producing their own horrifically fine offerings, including a special ghoulish fun range of skulls and ghosts developed by chocolatier Paul A Young.
Though confectionery tops the list for Halloween treats, for many traditionalists, the event is not complete without a pumpkin, yet only a fifth (18%) of Brits bought one last year, rising to 24% of those living in the South West, and 33% of 25-34’s.
Around one in seven (15%) Brits spent money on fancy dress, while 14% splashed out on decorations and 11% purchased special food and drink for the home.
Chana Baram, retail analyst at Mintel, believed there was plenty of anticipation from industry and consumers alike surrounding this year’s celebrations.
She commented: “Halloween continues to grow in popularity benefiting from the booming leisure market, and is a perfect opportunity for retailers to create experiences for customers. Once again, sales are set to increase as retailers dedicate more shelf space and merchandise to this key seasonal event. Food and drink prices have been rising over the summer months; as this is the biggest category for Halloween, we expect it will help boost sales
“Confectionery is the biggest purchase for Halloween and even those who do not take part in the celebrations are likely to buy sweets or chocolates for any visiting trick-or-treaters. We are also seeing more evidence of retailers promoting some everyday products as being appropriate for Halloween.
“Fashion and beauty retailers are doing this by putting outfits together that can double up as a costume idea, or makeup that is perfect for creating a Halloween look. This has proved a very effective way to entice Millennial consumers, in particular, who are buying more beauty products for Halloween.”
Traditionally a season for orange and black, today’s environmentally friendly Brits are keen to stay green, as some 75% of Halloween spenders say they would reuse Halloween costumes/decorations. Looking to up their game, 40% of Halloween purchasers use social media for inspiration.
