Retailers are reporting record-early demand for Halloween favourites this year, with confectionery and pumpkins driving a sharp sales surge across the stores.
Industry data shows overall Halloween spending exceeded £2 billion two years ago and is set to rise again in 2025.
According to Worldpanel by Numerator, over £100 million was spent on sugar confectionery in the four weeks to 5 October, up 5 per cent year on year.
The data points to Halloween-related purchases starting weeks earlier than before, as shoppers stock up on chocolate minis, share bags and novelty sweets well ahead of 31 October.
Confectionery suppliers are already extending promotional periods and offering new pack formats to capitalise on the longer season.
Pumpkins have also seen a dramatic uplift. More than a million shoppers bought pumpkins by the start of October, spending £1.4 million in the preceding four weeks, double the figure recorded in the same period last year.
"Pumpkins for us only use a small amount of land, but generate income in October in what can be a volatile month," Herefordshire-based farmer Andy Owens told BBC.
"Halloween in this country has grown massively. When I was growing up there was barely trick-or-treating, there was just The Simpsons Halloween special [on TV]. Now it's everywhere," he says.
Supermarkets are also expanding their pumpkin ranges to meet demand.
Asda said it is on track to sell 400,000 mini “munchkin” pumpkins this season, compared with 200,000 last year, as decorative pumpkins become as popular as carving varieties.
Retail analysts say this early activity marks a shift in seasonal behaviour.
Vikash Kaansili, senior retail analyst at Kantar, notes that Halloween spending is “no longer just about costumes and trick-or-treating.” Confectionery and pumpkin-related products are now seen as part of an extended autumn season.