FEATURE
HALLOWEEN & BONFIRE
17 OCTOBER 2025 ASIAN TRADER 101
alloween in Britain has
come a long way from
the days of carved
turnips, damp bonfires and the
occasional bag of toffees from a
well-meaning neighbour. It is
now firmly established as a
prominent event for UK
consumers, with 41 per cent of
Brits saying the event is more
important to them and their
family members compared to
other holidays.
For today’s households, it is
less about ghouls and ghosts and
more about gatherings, themed
treats, costumes, decorations
and of course food and drinks.
Halloween 2025 promises to
be even bigger than 2024, as it
falls on a Friday, allowing for a
whole weekend of celebrations.
Bonfire Night falls mid-week
allowing a series of days to
celebrate right up until the
following weekend.
For British convenience
retailers, that’s not just good
timing; rather it is the golden
slot on the calendar, falling
neatly before the Christmas
buzz begins. It’s a short, sharp,
high-margin season that rewards
those who embrace the spirit
early and with flair.
For Britain’s convenience
trade, Halloween sits in a sweet
spot between community and
commerce. It’s short enough to
manage and visible enough to
matter. Every trick-or-treat bag,
every pumpkin carving kit,
every “spooky night in” party
runs on the kind of impulse,
last-minute, top-up purchase
that convenience stores excel at
serving.
In the run-up to the night, it’s
not the big weekly shop that
drives sales but the rapid-fire
missions - a parent dashing in for
extra sweets at 7pm, a teen
grabbing a multipack of crisps
before friends arrive, or a
neighbour discovering the
tealights for their pumpkin
lanterns were all used up last
year.
Perhaps the biggest shift has
been demographics. Halloween
is no longer just for children, as
adults have firmly taken centre
stage. Data from both the UK
and the U.S. shows a surge in
spending on adult costumes,
themed food and drink, and
home parties.
Sweet treat economy
Sweets remain the undisputed
kings of the season. Branded
confectionery giants like Mars
Wrigley, Mondelez and Haribo
all produce Halloween-themed
packaging, portion packs and
“fun size” assortments that hit
precisely the sweet spot for
trick-or-treaters.
The big change over recent
years has been format. Parents
now prefer individually wrapped
pieces for hygiene and portion
control, while older shoppers
pick up sharing pouches for
home movie nights.
Chocolate counts too, but
here the focus is on miniature
indulgence. Multipack bars,
spooky-shaped chocolates and
limited-edition flavours (like
orange-infused or cookie
crumble variants) draw atten
tion.
Mondelēz International is
once again ready to dominate the
Halloween aisle, with a stellar
line-up of sweet treats perfectly
suited for the spooky season.
Nicole Partridge, Senior
Brand Manager, Halloween at
Mondelēz International, said,
“Halloween is an increasingly
important sales opportunity for
retailers.
“As Halloween grows in
popularity, retailers have the
great opportunity to stock up on
treat size best-sellers such as our
Cadbury Treatsize Sharing
Selection.
In 2024 Cadbury Treatsize
Sharing Selection became the
number one selling SKU during
Halloween and this year
Mondelēz International is
building on that momentum
with new product inclusions.
There is also the return of the
popular Cadbury Dairy Milk
Freddo & Friends sharing pack,
as well as a Cadbury Fudge
treatsize pack.
Sour Patch Kids has launched
a new treatsize sharing pack,
Tricking, treating and trading
Learn from the
scare-season experts
how convenience
retailers can turn
fright night into
bright profits