With a marked surge in confectionery sales at Halloween Haribo Dunhills (Pontefract) has plenty of treats in store this year for retailers who want to increase their profits.
The company has teamed up with selected cash & carries and delivered wholesalers around the country to offer a range of special deals and price promotions on seasonal lines such as family bags of Horror Mix, Magic Mix, Chamallows and its 25p packs of Starmix, Goldbears, Happy-Cola and Tangfastics.
Helmut Mager, managing director of Haribo believes it is the seasonal lines such as Horror Mix and Magic Mix, that offer the greatest potential with sales of Horror Mix almost doubling in October and sales of Magic Mix soaring by 39 per cent last year.
"Halloween is one of the key periods of the year for confectionery sales because the occasion revolves around children and gift-giving for which sweets are appropriate, but there's still plenty of scope for growth," he said.
Horror Mix was originally launched as a seasonal line in 1997 and was so popular Haribo made it available all year round. Horror Mix was joined in 2001 by Magic Mix- an assortment of jelly and foam sweets and fat-free Chamallows, which are aimed at adults looking for a fat-free treat and are ideal for toasting over a bonfire.
"Halloween is starting to become more of an event in Europe, but isn't yet as heavily promoted as it is in America," said Mager. "Retailers that do cater for the uplift in demand by stocking and drawing attention to Halloween products will reap the greatest benefits."