FEATURE
HALLOWEEN & BONFIRE
17 OCTOBER 2025 ASIAN TRADER 107
Nine bold fl avours and a range of nicotine strengths that
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NEW ELEVATED
FLAVOURS
can still cash in through carving kits,
plastic pumpkins, tealights, LED candles
and simple décor such as fake cobwebs,
hanging bats and glow sticks.
Over the last few years, a
parallel “big night in” trend
has fused with Halloween to
create an entirely new
consumption ritual.
Not everyone goes
trick-or-treating after all;
plenty prefer staying in
with snacks, drinks and
scary films.
Retailers who create a
clear “Halloween Night In”
bay, combining popcorn, sweets, pizza,
beer and soft drinks, often report double-
digit sales uplifts. The secret is curation as
customers appreciate not having to think
too hard.
Halloween also happens to mark the
moment when shoppers mentally switch
from summer to winter. The weather
cools, nights lengthen, and a craving for
comfort sets in.
And let’s not forget some unsung
seasonal heroes.
Major seasonal events
such as Halloween
and Bonfire Night and
cultural celebrations
such as Diwali spark
huge levels of demand
for matches and
lighters, with almost
every home in the UK
having a use for them as
they look to celebrate
these occasions in style.
“This surge in demand
provides
a major opportunity for retailers to really
drive purchase of high margin matches and
lighters, boosting sales with an increased
focus on seasonal displays,” says Gavin
Anderson, Sales and Marketing Director at
Republic Technologies (UK) Ltd., which
supplies the UK’s biggest range of matches
and lighters, including household
favourites such as Cook’s Matches, Bryant
& May Extra Long, Swan Vestas, Ship,
Zig-Zag and lumière lighters.
“Even retailers with limited
shelf space should
consider making room
for matches and lighters
at this key time of the
year.
“We advise retailers to
dual site matches and light
ers with candles and other
related products, to benefit
from increased demand
across categories and to boost
basket spend,” adds Anderson.
With easy merchandising in mind,
Cook’s and Bryant & May Matches are
available in shelf-ready dispensers and are
ideal for cooking, lighting candles, indoor
fires and outdoor usage whilst stylish
lumière lighters are available on clip strips
and in shelf-ready outers in a range of
metallic colours to help create eye-catch
ing displays.
The indie advantage
If there’s one thing that
makes Halloween special
for independents, it’s
agility. While the multi
ples rely on broad seasonal
ranges, independents can
focus on proven best-
sellers like Swizzels’
themed multi-packs,
sharing bags, and tubs,
ensuring every product earn its space
and drives strong returns.
Newton from Swizzels says, “Agility
also allows independents to make the
most of localised opportunities: from
adjusting stock levels to suit their
customer base to creating high-impact
seasonal displays in key areas like win
FEATURE
HALLOWEEN & BONFIRE
17 OCTOBER 2025 ASIAN TRADER 107