Admittedly, for the majority of bakers, Halloween sales are lower that other festive periods such as Christmas and Easter, however, it’s only the very disorganised or unmotivated baker who will let the spirit slip by without capitalising on all things that go bump in the night.
In fact, one in 10 bakers report their Halloween sales are equal to Christmas, while 10% reveal higher Halloween sales than Easter.
Trick or treat
That being said, 80% of UK bakers this year are planning to go all out with themed products. Creepy cupcakes (67%) top the list of spooktacular treats, followed by bloodcurdling biscuits (43%) and spine-chilling cookies (33%).
To maximise the potential of the ghostly spell, 25% of bakers started selling their Halloween range as early as September, with the remainder displaying Halloween bakery throughout October.
“It's great to see bakers making the most of opportunities like Halloween,” said Karen Dear, CBA’s director of operations.
“Craft bakers are able to create high-quality, unique products for seasonal events like Halloween that their customers know are made locally and have proven provenance.
“As the Halloween occasion continues to grow in popularity for the whole of the retail space, I am confident that our members will also continue to maximise the opportunity this brings.”
Halloween – a contraction of All Hallows’ Eve – is a holiday observed on 31 October, marking the day before the Western Christian feast of All Saints and initiates the season of Allhallowtide, which lasts three days and concludes with All Souls’ Day (1 November), designated by Pope Gregory III as a time to honour all saints.
The tradition is believed to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain – marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or ‘darker-half’ of the year – when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off the souls of the dead, believed to roam the earth at this time.
