Mark Brett, sole UK agent for Boland, gives partyworldwide.net the lowdown on how Halloween 2023 went for the company and its retail customers.
“All things being equal it seems to have panned out well. There is a very mixed picture of what sold well and what didn’t. For example, one retailer told me they did well with costumes but not so well with decorations. Another said the complete opposite. Without doubt local conditions prevailed. That is to say the former retailer is surrounded by major discount operators which have very inexpensive decorations but little in the way of costumes.
“The following day the conversation took a different turn. To paraphrase it was not a great a Halloween and a fair bit below our expectations. Fortunately, the next was much more upbeat. It was for this outlet very much a game of two halves. The consumer who had deep pockets and spent well as against the consumer who was having a tough time and buying very cautiously.
“I find it quite difficult to sum up any post Halloween as there are always big variances, apart from when it is on a Saturday. The differences can be local competition, more especially from multiple discounters, weather – if you happen to have a storm hovering overhead for a few days, or quite simply the profile of your consumer base. For 2023 I am quite comfortable in saying that it was a good Halloween which fell within expectations.
“Better than a curate’s egg but not quite a king’s ransom.”
