Grocery
Candy & Snack Merchandising
It’s the Most
Wonderful Time — for a Treat Traditions old and new help holiday candy, snack sales.
I
By Randy Hofbauer
f the holiday season this year shapes up the way it did in 2015, grocers and their supplier partners had better be ready, especially with their candy and snacks. Although many experts expected it to be lackluster, Christmas 2015 — along with the rest of that year’s holiday season — actually saw an increase in holiday spending, possibly helped by an improving economy. A shopper study developed by Jacksonville, Fla.based shopper marketing firm Acosta Sales & Market-
108
ing shows that 57 percent of shoppers who responded to a survey said they planned to spend more on groceries during the 2015 holiday season compared with the prior year. Even Thanksgiving alone saw shoppers spending a hefty amount on groceries: Roughly half (52 percent) of respondents spent more than $75 on groceries, and about a quarter (24 percent) spent more than $100. “The growth in grocery spending this holiday season is encouraging for brands and retailers alike,” noted Acosta SVP Colin Stewart at the time.
| Progressive Grocer | Ahead of What’s Next | September 2016