Consumers, processors and retailers are expecting a Halloween more normal than last year’s.
Halloween spending should reach $10.14 billion, which would be a record, according to a poll of about 8,000 consumers conducted by the National Retail Federation. The National Confectioners Association reports that retail candy sales for the four weeks ending Sept. 5 were up 42% from the same period last year.
The difference, of course, is the pandemic, which was in full, pre-vaccination swing at this time last year. Retailers, processors and others anticipate a return to full-blown trick-or-treating.
Candy processors like Mars Wrigley are noticing an uptick in orders. Last year, Mars Wrigley discontinued its biggest variety pack – 455 pieces of 3 Musketeers, Milky Way, Twix and Snickers – due to curtailment of trick-or-treating.
"People are just looking forward to being able to celebrate. Kids have been so buttoned down," a Mintel official told CNN.
