With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, convenience retailers have an opportunity to turn the occasion into a bigger trading moment, combining seasonal confectionery, eye-catching displays and in-store activity to drive footfall and increase basket spend.
For convenience retailers, Halloween is no longer simply about putting a few bags of sweets by the till. With shoppers increasingly looking for products, experiences and occasions that bring Halloween to life, stores have an opportunity to create a destination around the event, using seasonal ranges and simple in-store activity to generate excitement and encourage additional purchases.
That opportunity could be particularly significant this year, with Halloween falling on a weekend, giving consumers more opportunity to celebrate, attend parties and take part in trick-or-treating. The key for retailers is to start planning early and make the most of the weeks leading up to 31 October.
HALLOWEEN DISPLAY – WHAT TO STOCK
A dedicated Halloween display can immediately signal to shoppers that the store is ready for the occasion. Rather than relying on individual products spread across the confectionery aisle, retailers could consider creating a clearly defined Halloween area featuring seasonal sweets, chocolate, soft drinks and relevant accessories.
Mars Wrigley has expanded its Halloween offering this year with the launch of M&M’S Chocolate Minis Funsize, a 220g sharing pack containing 11 individual 20g bags. The format has been designed specifically around trick-or-treating, parties and seasonal sharing.
HARIBO has also strengthened its seasonal range, with the introduction of channel-exclusive HARIBO Sour Bats alongside returning products including Bone Shakers, MAOAM Halloween Mixx and the Starmix Pumpkin Bumper Box. The range provides retailers with different formats and price points, from individual treats through to larger sharing and party options.
For retailers, this creates an opportunity to build a display around different Halloween missions rather than simply stocking one type of product. Smaller formats can cater for impulse purchases and trick-or-treating, while larger bags and boxes can target households preparing for parties or expecting visitors.
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT SWEETS..
Drinks can play an important role, particularly for adult Halloween celebrations. HEINEKEN UK is returning with a seasonal Strongbow campaign for Halloween, with Strongbow Dark Fruit at the heart of the activity. The campaign includes limited-edition Halloween sleeves, on-pack promotions, supporting POS and social media activity, giving retailers another opportunity to make the cider fixture part of their seasonal display.
Echo Falls is also getting into the Halloween spirit with a limited-edition Sour Apple variant, giving retailers another seasonal option for adult shoppers. The Halloween-inspired launch adds a distinctive flavour and pack design to the fruit-fusion category, providing an opportunity to bring the category into a Halloween display alongside cider and other drinks aimed at parties and nights in.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners is supporting this year’s Halloween occasion with Fanta’s ‘Horrorverse’ campaign, which features limited-edition packs featuring Ghost Face alongside Fanta’s own horror characters. The campaign is backed by social, influencer, digital, out-of-home and experiential activity, while free POS materials are available to retailers through My.CCEP.com, subject to availability.
Fanta variants accounted for 17.4% of flavoured carbonates sold during Halloween 2025, according to CCEP, highlighting the potential role of soft drinks within the seasonal fixture.
A Halloween display does not necessarily need to take up a huge amount of space to make an impact. Colourful seasonal packaging, pumpkins, cobwebs, signage and simple props can help transform an otherwise ordinary fixture into something that catches the eye. Halloween-themed costume accessories, masks, face paint and other low-cost items can also provide an opportunity to encourage shoppers to add something extra to their basket.
The principle is simple: if a customer has already come into the store for sweets, make it easy for them to discover another Halloween-related purchase while they are there. Cross-merchandising can also help. Seasonal soft drinks positioned alongside confectionery can provide a natural pairing for parties and nights in.
MAKE HALLOWEEN AN IN-STORE EVENT
For independent retailers in particular, Halloween provides an opportunity to do something the multiples can find harder to replicate, involve the local community. A simple costume competition could generate interest without requiring a significant investment.
Retailers could encourage customers to visit the store in costume on Halloween, take a photograph and enter a competition, with a prize awarded for the best costume. Promoting the competition through the store’s Facebook or Instagram pages in advance could help build anticipation, while photographs from the day could provide further content for social media.
Other simple ideas could include a Halloween-themed children’s colouring competition, a pumpkin display, a ‘guess the sweets in the jar’ competition or a small in-store trick-or-treating activity. The objective is not necessarily to create a huge event. Instead, it is about giving shoppers another reason to visit the store and creating an experience that they are likely to remember and share.
USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO BUILD ANTICIPATION
Halloween also lends itself naturally to social media. Retailers can use their existing channels to showcase new products, reveal their Halloween display, promote competitions and remind customers when seasonal stock is available.
The Fanta Horrorverse campaign demonstrates how Halloween products can become part of a wider piece of entertainment, with characters, limited-edition packaging and consumer activity designed to generate engagement beyond the shelf.
Independent retailers can apply the same principle on a local level. A short video showing staff preparing the Halloween display, a poll asking followers to choose the best costume, or a post announcing a competition can all help turn a seasonal fixture into something customers actively engage with.
Ultimately, the biggest opportunity for convenience retailers may be to think of Halloween as more than a confectionery promotion. A strong seasonal display can provide the starting point, but combining sweets with drinks, costume accessories, competitions and social media activity can turn the occasion into a genuine reason for customers to visit.
For independent stores, the opportunity is to take those national campaigns and give them a local twist. Whether that means a bigger Halloween fixture, a staff costume day, a children’s competition or simply making the shop look the part, a little creativity could help retailers turn Halloween into a memorable occasion for shoppers, and an opportunity to grow sales.
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