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Instead, they expected to see the rise of what he called “self-treating,” with people only buying candy for themselves, their kids, close friends and family. That may be even more popular in cities where governments are advising against a traditional Halloween, such as in COVID-19 hot spots in Ontario and Quebec.
“Your kids, you don’t give them a 10-gram fun treat. You give them a full bar,” he said, adding that sales of large chocolate bars are up roughly 10 per cent in the past eight weeks, compared to a year ago.
“I’m not saying that it’s fully related to (Halloween), but people are buying more treats for themselves in bigger formats, or expect to give (them) at Halloween to their kids or surrounding neighbourhood … because it’s people they know.”
Mondelez Canada also decided to focus on smaller boxes of Halloween treats, guessing that fewer kids would go trick-or-treating. The company said it moved away from 115-piece boxes of assorted Cadbury or Maynards products and is making more 24- and 45-piece boxes.
In all, the company reduced its Halloween-related stock keeping units (SKUs) — an industry term for a specific product in a specific package — by roughly one-third, and pulled back its total production volume of Halloween-specific products by around 20 per cent, the company said in a statement.
More Canadians seem to be buying candy early and enjoying it at home
Loblaw’s Catherine Thomas
That doesn’t mean the company made less chocolate and candy, just fewer small bars and bags.
Parent said the company’s overall chocolate and candy output in Canada for the season is “about flat” compared to last year. And by cutting some of the Halloween SKUs, the company was able to deliver to stores earlier for shoppers who wanted to avoid any potential rush or just treat themselves. The company’s sales were actually higher than normal earlier this month.
