Confectionery sales gain a supernatural boost ahead of this weekend’s Halloween festivities
Ever since watching the Halloween celebrations featuring in Steven Spielberg’s ET as a kid, I’ve been fascinated by the lengths that some will go to mark this key annual extravaganza heralding the long, dark nights of winter.
For many, this is continuing to prove a surreal and testing period, so while it is more than likely that this weekend’s supernatural festivities will feel somewhat different amid restrictions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, at least trying to do something is clearly appealing.
As we previously reported, it’s the US which has led the way in terms of making this season a dressing up bonanza filled with a host of culinary delights including some frightfully fine confectionery – and Europe has steadily caught up over the past couple of decades.
So it is little wonder that after the extremely testing conditions of the last six months, retailers and confectionery manufacturers are hoping for some positive news after such an unexpectedly subdued market hit by the ongoing pandemic. To put this in its full context, in America alone, consumers have in recent years spent around $9 billion on Halloween and related activities – with around 175 million US residents typically engaging with events.
Thankfully, it seems that sense of anticipation and optimism for this year’s celebrations is far from misplaced, if the National Confectioners Association (NCA)’s latest figures are anything to judge by. From its latest figures, sales of spooky confectionery are up 12% this month in anticipation of families finding a way to make the occasion fun in socially distanced style. See our latest exclusive video with the NCA on the prospects for Halloween, here.
There may well be plenty of sobering headlines around the world that have given us just cause for reflection, yet it’s understandable that after an intense period of being locked down, the need to have a little of fun with friends and family is quite understandable.
So for all those who have come up with inventive ways of marking Halloween, be it through conjuring up your own fiendish confectionery or bakery delights, small family gatherings and carefully managed mini outdoor events, or more high-tech solutions such as stories of individuals planning drone delivery of spooky treats, I salute your sense of determination in marking the occasion amid challenging times.
- Neill Barston, Confectionery Production editor.
Keep in touch via email: [email protected] and social media: @sweetsnsavoury or @confectionprod
