The last week has seen much of the UK celebrating Halloween in style, giving a much-needed boost to the economy, with various retail reports putting the value of the spooky season anywhere between £491m and £690m.
While it’s too early to know the official figures yet, anecdotal evidence has placed Halloween 2018 as one of the most successful for years, with both retailers and suppliers reporting an unexpected increase in demand leading to many product lines selling out entirely.
In the days leading up to the event, a report from leading data and analytics company GlobalData predicted that Halloween would be a treat for retailers putting the event’s value at around £491m (up 2.1% on last year).
According to GlobalData’s forecasts, Halloween clothing and costumes would make up over a third of Halloween spend and were expected to grow 3.4% on 2017.
“More clothing specialists are recognising the appeal of Halloween in the UK, with retailers creating visual displays highlighting Halloween clothing instore alongside accessories and make-up,” said retail analyst Zoe Mills. “The focus this year is clearly on accessorising costumes, with animal-ear headbands available from a number of stores.”
Meanwhile, VoucherCodes surveyed more than 2,000 people to find out how they were planning on celebrating Halloween, revealing that – by its calculations – the nation will have spent around £690m embracing the spooky spirit this year.
The research found that the average parent would spend at least £42.15 celebrating Halloween with their family this year. Adults were predicted to spend an average of £12.30 on a costume for themselves, £8.15 on sweets and £9.80 on decorations – while those with children generally expected to spend an additional £11.90 on each of their children’s costumes.
