Confectionery manufacturers are missing out on the growing opportunities around Halloween, IRI has warned as volume sales of Halloween confectionery fell by 25.5%.
Value sales of non-food Halloween accessories were up 12.5% year on year in the five weeks to 5 November 2016 and total pumpkin volumes were up 13.1% - an increase of 800,000 pumpkins - but Halloween confectionery value sales fell 20.5% (IRI).
Overall confectionery sales dipped by just 1.5% over the same period, suggesting consumers are moving away from Halloween-branded lines.
“Sales have been struggling for specific Halloween merchandise for two or three years and I wonder whether people are just using other confectionery to do trick or treating,” said Martin Wood, head of strategic insight retail at IRI. “Confectionery manufacturers need to work harder to leverage the opportunities presented by events such as Halloween.”
However, some confectionery SKUs that “might not be defined as Halloween”, such as tubs of Haribo and other sweets, appeared to be “selling really well” over the period, he added.
Haribo, which launched Halloween-specific products Scaremix and TangfasTricks, said specific sales data was still being reviewed, but Halloween was “without doubt” the biggest seasonal sales opportunity for the brand.
“This year has been as competitive as ever, with brands and retailers competing for every pound,” said Haribo’s seasonal brand manager Claire Caley.
“A TNS Omnibus study, commissioned by Haribo in the week of Halloween, highlighted that Haribo was the number one choice of confectionery for shoppers stocking up for trick or treaters and also for Halloween parties.”
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