Thu, 30 Oct 2025

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 Spooky spending creeping in weeks before Halloween

Spending on Halloween now tops £1bn and UK shoppers are looking beyond sweet treats and pumpkins

* Over £100m was spent on sugar confectionery at British supermarkets in the four weeks to October 5, up 5% on the same period last year.
* More than a million shoppers had already bought pumpkins from supermarkets by the start of October, with sales totaling £1.4m in the four weeks prior, doubling the amount spent in the similar pre-Halloween period in 2023.
* Spending on Halloween is expected to hit £2bn this year, and is predicted to grow again next year.
* In 2024, 91% of people bought something Halloween-related, according to Worldpanel data.
* Retail spending on categories associated with Halloween and autumn grew by 37% in the two weeks leading up to October 31 last year compared to a standard two-week period.
* Sales of candles and pyjamas were up nearly 20%.
* Supermarket Asda is on track to sell 400,000 mini pumpkins this year, up from 200,000 last year.
* Merlin Entertainment, which owns Thorpe Park, Alton Towers and Legoland, sees Halloween as a major contributor to its profits, with the lead-up to Halloween now rivaling its peak summer season in driving revenue.
* The number of visitors to Andy Owens' farm in Herefordshire for the pumpkin patch has more than doubled since he set it up four years ago.
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