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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Halloween season treating retailers to the sweet sounds of ringing cash registers
Michael Baptiste (left) and Parminder Gill try on some Halloween costumes at Party Stuff in Winnipeg on Friday. (DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store
Winnipeggers do some Halloween shopping at Party Stuff on Friday. Many retailers say the season is an important bridge between back-to-school and Christmas shopping. (DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store
If you think that ratty old pirate costume is still going to win top prize at the Halloween party this year, you clearly have not seen what's been going on in the Halloween retail scene.
Halloween season is now an important bridge between back-to-school and Christmas shopping and retailers have been continually ramping up their offerings.
Every October at Jonathan Glass's Winnipeg chain of three Party Stuff & U-Rent-It stores, a significant portion of the space is cleared out to make room for this year's crop of zombie, sexy nurse and superhero costumes and a completely unnecessary selection of Halloween decorations.
"It's a very big deal for us," Glass said about the Halloween sales season. "It's much more than 10 per cent of our annual sales."
According to the American National Retail Federation, total Halloween spending expected to reach $8 billion in the U.S. this year. That's up from $5 billion only two years ago.
New Jersey-based Spencer's gifts has probably done as much as anyone to make Halloween a serious retail event.
This year, the company has 966 pop-up stores across Canada and the U.S. -- including two in Winnipeg at former Office Depot locations -- that are only open for the month of October.
Since this year is an election year in the U.S., sales of masks depicting the presidential candidates are a big deal. According to American press reports, in the past, the candidate whose mask was the most popular in an election year has gone on to win.
In mid-October, reports stated Obama was outselling Romney 65 per cent to 35 per cent.
In Manitoba, masks of U.S. presidential candidates might not be the most popular costume, but locals are more enthusiastic Halloween shoppers than ever.
According to a Harris/Decima poll produced for the Retail Council of Canada, Canadian households with children will spend an average of $75 per household on Halloween purchases.
That's similar to figures in the U.S., where consumers are expecting to spend an average of $79.82 on decorations, costumes and candy, up from $72.31 last year.
Lanny McInnes, the retail council's Manitoba vice-president, said the occasion is becoming more of an adult event and that means even more spending.
"Manitobans are spending more than in the past," McInnes said. "And for Manitoba retailers, having a successful sales period at Halloween is an indication of good things heading into the Christmas season."
The survey indicated about 12 per cent of Manitobans intend to spend more on Halloween this year than they did last year.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 27, 2012 B6
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Updated on Saturday, October 27, 2012 at 8:40 AM CDT: adds colour photos
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