Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Get the partyware – and pumpkin carving tools – ready: the UK is set for the biggest Halloween celebration ever with the event falling on a Saturday (October 31), according to Tesco.
With Halloween falling on a Saturday and Guy Fawkes Night just five days later, many people are set to celebrate both events in one huge fancy dress party, the supermarket multiple said.
Tesco Halloween buyer Bryony Watson said: “Halloween is the second biggest party event of the year after New Year’s Eve, and has doubled in size over the last 10 years. As this one falls on a Saturday, we believe it could be the biggest the UK has ever seen.
“Until the early noughties Halloween was still mainly celebrated as a kids’ party event and the greatest demand from customers was for trick or treating confectionery and maybe a few costumes and face masks.
“But the event has been adopted by adults as a great excuse for a party and as a result of them joining in the, fun we’re seeing an annual rise in demand for costumes, masks and of course, party food and drink. While Halloween has always been a huge party event in America we’re now seeing many Brits determined to join in the fun.”
The grocery chain claims that this year, Brits are set to spend up to an estimated £400 million on Halloween costumes, scary face masks, witch wigs and other accessories, plus pumpkins and sweets, along with party food and drink.
Tesco estimates that it will sell more than 3 million pumpkins (1 million more than last year because of improved availability), more than 200,000 glow in the dark fangs, 170,000 tubes of fake blood, 170,000 witch hats, 150,000 witch brooms, 80,000 hooded masks and 40,000 adult witch wigs.
