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NEWS UPDATE A Happy Halloween! The UK's Halloween spend rises again as projected figures showed that UK shoppers were expected to spend up to £460m celebrating the scary season in 2015 – a significant rise on last year's impressive £330m figure.
Halloween parties are as popular as ever, with this London event offering a terrifying treat! It looks like Halloween in all its (fake) blood-soaked glory is happily here to stay, bringing a welcome
boost to all retailers, but especially those of us in the fancy dress and party industry. While there's no shortage of people complaining that Halloween is an American import they wish would go away, they are increasingly outnumbered by those who welcome trick or treaters with open arms, decorating their houses and throwing parties to celebrate the annual frightfest. The £460m figure (Conlumino, a retail research group) is up 4.1% on 2014, and covers everything the discerning Halloween reveller
Fun Shack Goes Global
Getting Personal
The well-known fancy dress supplier Fun Shack has appointed overseas trade specialist Chamber International to help it go global, concluding what has been a fantastic year so far for the Leeds party supplier. The partnership will see the expansion of Fun Shack's export business and help it grow its international footprint. Fun Shack first began exporting in 2012, but it is now stepping up exports as part of Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership’s 'We are International' initiative. “So far overseas sales represent 8% of turnover but we want to do more,” said company director Jeffrey Fearnley. “Our research and design centre allows us to understand local markets and create outfits specifically for local cultures which, although they may differ, have a common factor of appreciating quality and value.” Fun Shack will be exhibiting for the first time at Nuremburg Toy Fair 2016 (27 Jan-Feb 1).
Pioneer Europe has launched MyBalloon.com in partnership with Dave Saunders from Bizzy Balloons. The web-based service takes personalised balloons to the next level, allowing consumers to design their very own high-quality, personalised photo balloon with a 24-hour 'click-and-collect' service. Once ordered, the designs are printed by Bizzy Balloons on Qualatex Microfoil balloons, and shipped uninflated to the retailer, who will earn commission from each sale. Retailers are encouraged to offer a bouquet
Pictured (l-r): Chamber International senior export adviser, David Attia, and Fun Shack’s Jonathan Pearson and Jeffrey Fearnley.
Spooky Sales Stats
needs, including treats for trick or treating, costumes and accessories for dressing up, food and drink for parties and pumpkins for carving. A different set of calculations (from Mintel) predicted the 2015 market to be worth £283m, up an impressive 3% from £275m last year – and so although the official post-event figures haven't yet been announced, there was little doubt that this year was going to see some impressive growth. Taking place on a Saturday gave the Halloween celebrations a real boost, with many partygoers turning the festivities into a weekend-long event. This benefited both retailers and suppliers, who saw increasing numbers of consumers getting involved as the celebrations continued. upgrade, as the MyBalloon.com border designs coordinate with existing Qualatex balloons. The MyBalloon.com interface is user-friendly and mobile-friendly, allowing the customer to easily personalise his or her balloon anytime, anywhere. Customers can further enhance their designs with a selection of coordinating borders and fun icons. Retailers should visit www.MyBalloon.com for more information. Above: Participating retailers will see an increased profit potential.
Christmas Angel New York philanthropist Carol Suchman has purchased the entire remaining stock of a closing down party and toy shop to donate the party supplies and toys to a kids’ charity, just in time for Christmas. Carol often buys gifts for less fortunate children at Christmas time, but when she spotted that toy and party retailer Hudson Party Store in New York’s West Village was closing down, she decided to go one better. “When I saw this toy store, I just realised I could do it on a grander
Above: Carol, getting to grips with the stock!
scale for this one year," she said, and after a brief negotiation, Carol ended up walking out with the shop’s entire stock.
Supermarket giant Sainsbury's says Halloween is now the third biggest retail event of the year, after Christmas and Easter. It reported a 150% increase in adult fancy dress costume sales this year – news, which might concern independent retailers who have focused on adult lines since multiples first began offering cut-price children's costumes in bulk. Tesco's dedicated Halloween buyer Bryony Watson said that Halloween falling on a Saturday this year has boosted sales, making it: “the biggest the UK has ever seen.” She pointed out that Halloween has been: “adopted by adults as a great excuse for a party and as a result we’re seeing an annual rise in demand for costumes, masks and of course party food and drink.” Walmart-owned Asda showed its American heritage with a 15% range increase in-store, and expected to see a doubledigit increase in sales of Halloween products year-onyear, with many value lines. The value sector is upping its game in the Halloween market, as evidenced by Poundland – which stocked almost 200 products, an increase on last year. Party products account for 55-60% of Poundland’s Halloween range, with chief executive Jim McCarthy, saying: “Events are really important to us, and [Halloween] is one of the biggest.”
Antonio Rodriguez, a spokesperson for New York’s Department of Homeless Services, which received the party products, said he had never seen such a generous donation. “I’ve been doing this for many years and we have many generous sponsors. But I have to say that this is the first time anybody ever bought out an entire store and donated to the children of shelters.” The partyware, toys and school supplies will be shared among New York’s homeless children this Christmas.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE
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