Brits must have chosen more tricks last Halloween as sales of treats took a hit. 

Confectionery & cakes took a £6m hit over the five-week period leading up to Halloween, while sweets & gums also suffered a loss.

That was despite a big rise in featured space promotions in the mults by big name brands such as Cadbury, Nestlé and Mars.

Brits, it seems, were opting for healthier treats in the form of popcorn.

Some believe the losses are due to consumers not buying into spooky sweets. "Sales have been struggling for specific Halloween merchandise for two or three years. Perhaps people are just using other confectionery to do trick or treating," Martin Wood, IRI head of strategic insight, retail, said last year.

The same could be true of home baking products, which also took a tumble. Sweet cake mixes, flavours and cake decorations were hit with losses of 2%, 4.1% and 3.7%, respectively. 

That's despite Halloween falling in a key period for the category - between Bake Off and Christmas, as consumers strap on pinnies for the festive period.

"Home baking sees natural uplifts during the key seasonal periods such as Halloween, Easter, Christmas and Bake Off," says Jan McKee, executive head of marketing, Dr Oetker UK. "In the lead up to and during these occasions, it is vital to engage and inspire shoppers while baking is top of their minds."

Pumpkins were high up Brits' list of priorities, as they took home an additional 700,000 for carving into jack -o-lanterns.