Britons making Halloween a money spinner for retailers

More than half of consumers will spend money on Halloween this year as the event continues its growth in popularity across the UK, figures show.

The average consumer will spend £23 on Halloween-related sweets and food, decorations and costumes, up 5% on last year, according to a survey for Royal Mail.

Almost a tenth (8%) will spend more than £50, with little planning ahead of the event meaning most buying will take place in the two to six days ahead of October 31, the poll found.

Retail analyst ShopperTrak expects shoppers to spend £320 million on Halloween purchases, up 3.2% year-on-year in a "growing shift in the adoption of the festival by UK consumers".

Steve Richardson, UK director at ShopperTrak, said: "We've seen a steady growth in the adoption of Halloween both by consumers and retailers. The festival now presents the third largest retail event after Christmas and Easter in terms of sales and, this year, the trend continues with an expected increase in shopper traffic of 7% on the daily average on 31 October.

"Interestingly, because Halloween falls on a Tuesday this year, we'll see a double spike in footfall, with a smaller increase in shopper traffic hitting the weekend before Halloween - up 1.5% on the weekend average - before the main increase on Halloween itself."

Royal Mail director of public affairs and policy David Gold said: "Spend on Halloween in the UK is growing, slowly but surely, and retailers are increasing their seasonal products to react to consumer demand.

"Unlike Christmas and other popular holidays in the UK, shoppers tend to plan for Halloween less than a week in advance. Retailers must prepare for last-minute purchases and speedy delivery options in the days ahead."

:: OnePoll surveyed 2,000 UK adults for Royal Mail on October 10-16.