Halloween 2019
GET YOUR
CREEP ON It’s time to start looking forward to that time of year again, when the nation takes great delight in scaring each other – and being scared – as much as possible. Halloween is the busiest and most important time of the year for most fancy dress and party retailers and with so much at stake, it’s important to make sure you have the best selection possible. PPE checks out which skeletons should be in your stockroom for Halloween 2019.
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s the biggest party season of the year and one which is increasingly celebrated by the whole family, it can be difficult to predict what Halloween trends and themes will be popular each year. The realistic gore make-up which works well at a big city nightclub frightfest is unlikely to translate so well at an afternoon of apple bobbing and spider cakes for five-year-olds, so it’s important that retailers carry the right mix of product for all their target consumers. The celebration of all things spooky remains the most important season for the UK party industry by a long shot – Mintel estimated that in 2018, Brits were gearing up to spend £420m on Halloween – and the season is also getting steadily bigger in Europe every year. This year the big day falls on a Thursday – which is generally accepted as being the next best thing to the weekend in terms of both consumer engagement and party opportunities. The Above right: The 36” Qualatex Golden Skull foil from Pioneer Europe was hugely popular in 2018. Right: Creepy props are an important part of Palmer Agencies’ offering.
almost-Friday date also lends itself to a fairly focused Halloween for retailers as consumers look to celebrate on the day itself and the weekend afterwards, taking the pressure away from a Saturday rush but keeping the action firmly over one weekend. According to that 2018 Mintel report, more than half of the UK population (52%) spend money on Halloween celebrations, with older millennials the most likely to spend big – more than three-quarters (77%) of them got involved in one way or another. Almost 50% of all Halloween shoppers spent between £10 and £25, while 17% really went for it, pushing their spending up to around £50. Regardless of spend, exactly half (50%) of all Halloween shoppers put off their purchases until the last moment – perhaps because many of them (40%) are waiting to use social media as inspiration for their own outfits or décor. Traditionally a season for orange and black, today’s environmentallyfriendly shoppers are also looking to
Get Social “We can no longer predict what is going to sell at Halloween and I think most of our customers agree. The consumer is very much king and there is no Halloween crystal ball anymore! My recommendation to retailers is to keep a very close eye on social media sites to see what is happening, as that is where others will find their inspiration. Having said that, our new Day of the Dead range of decorations is proving very strong as it has a wide appeal. Our horror clown decoration and tableware is also very successful, as is the horror pumpkin range – both of which were top sellers last year.”
Mark Brett, UK agent, Boland Party
Above: Boland Party’s horror clown décor is a bestselling line.
stay as green as possible, with some 75% of those who celebrate Halloween saying they plan to reuse Halloween costumes and decorations in what is undoubtedly good news for the environment but not so good for the party trade. Although it does offer suppliers and retailers an opportunity to move away from today’s throwaway culture by selling more robust products, MAY/JUNE 2019 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE
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04/06/2019 11:18