The dust has settled on Halloween 2017 with retailers and suppliers now looking forward to Christmas and New Year. PWW spoke to Kate Moore, owner of Jollyjesters, to find out how the spooky season was for the Derbyshire retailer…
Weekend Plans
“Halloween was busier than last year, but it was nearly all focused on the weekend before. That was mega for us, but the 30th and 31st were much quieter, mostly just the regular Trick-or-Treat children’s items.”
Zombie Style
“Trends were mainly zombies, along with Suicide Squad and killer clowns. The demand for traditional Halloween costumes such as witches, devils, grim reapers and vampires was virtually non-existent.”
Cost Of Quality
“Our experience is that people balk at paying for quality until they order cheap stuff online and then realise it’s bad quality. We sometimes get asked if our children’s costumes are fireproof? Errrrmmmm, no, they’re not made of asbestos. We only stock costumes with the genuine CE mark which have been subjected to EN71 testing. We’re still amazed at how many people buy unbranded zombie lenses online for a fiver. Why would anyone take that risk? But they do.”
High Street Hype
“We were very careful not to over-order because we knew we were up against the supermarkets, chainstores and the internet, so we actually came out of it okay. I think there will be some major retailers licking their wounds, going by the number of shops that were selling their stock at 75% off after the big day. That might impact on next year’s high street hype, especially as it’s on a Wednesday in 2018.”
