Halloween has long been a famous tradition in the USA, with kids taking to the streets in fancy dress costumes and knocking on their neighbours’ doors asking ‘trick or treat’. But, only over the past few years has the United Kingdom started to join in with this strange holiday tradition, with more and more wandering around the streets on the 31st October.
The amount that has been spent on costumes by parents over recent times has reached an all-time high in Britain, and even pubs and clubs are getting in on the action now by dressing their establishments in decorations before hastily dragging them down in time to put the Christmas tree up. The stats are astounding, and the projections for this year’s event are set to exceed the 2018 numbers.
Expected Rise In Spending
The Halloween spirit is quickly taking over the British public, and the 2017 and 2018 stats reflect that. According to research conducted by Mintel, the UK was expected to spend a massive £419 million for Halloween in 2018, which was up from the £400 million that was spent the previous year. The 2017 figures also show that 52% of the population spent money on Halloween, with that number rising to 85% for those that spent money who had a child under the age of five.
Among the biggest spenders were the ‘young Millenials’, with 77% of them embracing the traditional North American celebration. The prices that each person paid also differed, with 25% of people spending between £10 and £25, and 24% spending under £10. There were 17% of people that really got into the spirit of Halloween and spent between £26 and £50.
Areas That Love Halloween
All around the UK, there will be celebrations during Halloween week, and that is especially the case in the West Midlands. With Birmingham boasting several high profile events that are catered to kids as well as adults. However, Halloween was most popular in the East Midlands, North West and North East according to figures, with 56% of people spending money. The areas that spent the smallest amount on Halloween were East Anglia and the South East regions, with just 45% of their residents splashing out on seasonal items.
Future
Halloween in 2019 is likely to exceed these numbers once again, as the UK begins to move ever closer to the North American traditions. This scenario would have been hard to believe 15 years ago, but Halloween isn’t the only culture that has been stolen from across the pond, with the introduction of Black Friday taking the country by storm.
However, Halloween could prove to be an advantage for local businesses as customers are beginning to spend money at a time that would have been typically a time when families would be saving their money. There are chances for retailers to make big money during Halloween and they are seizing the opportunity. The addition of more calendar-based holidays will interest more consumers to buy, and retailers will prosper.
