UK consumers sick-of-treats? Halloween confectionery sales slump 18.4%

By Oliver Nieburg

- Last updated on GMT

To the grave: UK Halloween candy sales in supermarkets nosedive 18.4%
To the grave: UK Halloween candy sales in supermarkets nosedive 18.4%

Related tags Confectionery Halloween

Supermarket sales of UK Halloween confectionery in 2014 have taken a big hit as consumers look to popcorn as a trick-or-treat alternative, shop in bargain stores or prefer to spend on dressing up.

IRI found that while more people were buying Halloween costumes – with a 25% rise in Halloween dress up sales – sweet sales for the season were on the decline.

UK Halloween confectionery sales in supermarkets for the weeks ending 1 November 2014 were £11.5m ($18.2m) compared to £14m ($22.1m) last year, according to IRI data.

Popcorn replacement?

“My initial thoughts are that popcorn sales are up, which could be a substitute,”​ Tim Eales, strategic insight director at IRI told ConfectioneryNews.

“Also bargain stores sell a lot of these sorts of things very cheaply, so this is a possible explanation. And with the growth of ‘dressing up/costumes’ people are perhaps trying to keep the overall cost down and cutting back on confectionery.”

Overall market and US forecast

The Halloween confectionery slump came as the overall UK sweets and gums market over the same period grew 0.6% to £83.4m ($132m).

The US National Confectioners Association (NCA) has yet to report US Halloween confectionery sales for 2014, but last month told this site that it was expecting a 1.8% rise​ on last year to $2.5bn.

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