As October continues to roll on, Halloween is fast becoming one of the UK’s biggest retail forces. This year, spending on the rather recent holiday—though a popular one, nevertheless! According to recent data, Halloween is now the second-busiest time of year for retailers like Charlotte Brennan, owner of the gift shop and café Bloom & Brew. This year, she said, even before August ended customers were asking for Halloween, a trend that points to a growing demand for earlier celebrations.
Brennan stated, “It’s been our busiest year yet for Halloween.” She elaborated saying that the shoppers’ purchases of reusable decorative items are accelerating. They want to create collections the way they do for Christmas. This trend is yet another example of how our culture has completely accepted Halloween. It’s no longer just for kids; today people of all ages enjoy this happy holiday.
Fiona Eastwood, managing director of Merlin Entertainment, agreed on the important role Halloween has played. She mentioned that the anticipation leading up to this holiday is at a level now comparable with the height of summer season. This trend increases the bottom line at many cultural institutions. Located close to London, Thorpe Park has gone further with their Halloween celebrations more than ever before. Now, night rides and themed haunted mazes have become essential to its annual bottom line.
Worldpanel’s data indicates that in 2024, a staggering 91% of consumers bought something related to Halloween, underscoring the occasion’s widespread appeal. Total Halloween spending hit £2 billion two years ago and is expected to increase once more this year. Halloween is all about getting in the spirit, and senior retail analyst Vikash Kaansili at Kantar pointed to how the holiday is shifting consumer spending.
Halloween is no longer just for kids. Kaansili mentioned booming pyjama and candle sales. This nationwide growth proves that adults have taken Halloween as an opportunity to enjoy a cozy evening at home too, not just focusing on the kid’s trick or treating. He added that even with cost-of-living pressures, consumers seem willing to celebrate the holiday without spending less.
During the four weeks leading up to Halloween, we’ve seen a significant bump in spending in a number of categories. Retail expenditures for Halloween and fall décor increased by an astonishing 37% in the last two weeks before October 31. This exuberance represents a dramatic departure from just a two week stretch. Shoppers made more trips back in that time. They over-indexed on spending 16% more than average, doubling down on the belief that Halloween is a “can’t-miss” event.
British supermarkets have upped their sugar confectionery advertising blitz, spending more than £100 million just in the four weeks up to 5 October. That’s a 5% jump from this time last year. In fact, candle and pyjama sales both jumped by almost 20%, showing how homebody celebrators are shifting to cozier at-home gatherings.
Another component of the specialty crop growth spurt — the wholesale market for pumpkins. Andy Owens, a Herefordshire farmer with a lucrative new pumpkin patch he set up in 2021, has been seeing great results from it. The demand for these patches has skyrocketed, with visits doubling in just the last three years. In the past four weeks up to September 29, British supermarkets have recorded almost £1 million of pumpkin sales. This was nearly double the appropriations from last year!
“Halloween in this country has grown massively. When I was growing up there was barely trick-or-treating; there was just The Simpsons Halloween special on TV. Now it’s everywhere,” he remarked.
This last trend is good news, because it shows that consumers are reinvesting their celebration expenditure dollar at home. Consumers are purchasing holiday goods to make their home a cozy, welcoming place to spend time during the cold months. They’re not just appealing to babysitters for kids.