The Halloween trading period is worth more than 20 times what it was 10 years ago. For some it’s now bigger than Easter. What’s behind this impressive growth asks James Halliwell

For some, Halloween means a psycho in a hockey mask slashing teenagers to ribbons with a razor-sharp knife. For the rest of us, fortunately, Halloween is mostly about tiny terrors in ghoulish fancy dress bellowing ‘trick or treat’ and knocking on the front door.

You open up and hand out some sweets – unless you forgot to stock up beforehand, in which case you might find yourself cowering behind the door, lights off and curtains drawn, while eggs splatter against your windows. It’s as simple as that.

For the retail industry, however, Halloween has become much more than a quirky night of fun for the kids. What once involved hauling a pallet of pumpkins on to the shop floor in mid-October has turned into one of the biggest events of the year.

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The Halloween-themed NPD on offer this year includes treats for the grown-ups, too

STAKING A CLAIM ON THE HOLIDAY
With sales outperforming Easter’s last year, Halloween’s a hell of a hit with Asda

SUGAR SQUARES UP TO CHOCOLATE
One’s selling more, the other’s growing faster. Is chocolate or sugar winning the race?