More Customers Shopping Early as Halloween Becomes Seasonal Celebration

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Midwestern retailer Meijer is seeing as much as a 20 percent increase in shoppers taking advantage of Halloween savings and hunting earlier for decorations, candy and costumes this year, according to Peter Whitsett, executive vice president of merchandising and marketing.

"The next time Halloween will be celebrated on the weekend won't be until 2020, so we're seeing enthusiastic shoppers making it more of seasonal experience by planning their trick-or-treating, haunted house visits and unforgettable parties throughout October," Whitsett said. "We know that more parents are decorating their homes and even dressing up with their kids, so we look forward to providing everything families need for their weekend festivities."

Meijer aggressively expanded its selection in kids licensed costumes, adult costume accessories and animated home decorations this year to help shoppers maximize their Halloween experience. Whitsett said that nearly half will decorate their home, more than two-thirds of all celebrants will wear a costume and more than 157 million people are planning to celebrate and throw or attend parties.

The average person will spend $75 this Halloween on indoor and outdoor décor, costumes and candy, and nearly 70 million people plan on passing out candy. Total spending on Halloween will reach $6.9 billion, according to the National Retail Federation.

Top costume trends for this season include:

• Adults: Customizable costumes with hoodies, masks, hats, wigs and other accessories.
• Boys: Star Wars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and superhero muscle costumes from the Avengers continue to be most popular. About 70 percent of all boys' costumes purchased are licensed products.
• Girls: Monster High continues to be popular, but My Little Pony, as well as Anna and Elsa from Frozen are still top costume choices.
• Toddlers: Parents are most enthusiastic about dressing their toddlers up in Paw Patrol, Sesame Street and Minions character costumes.     
• Pets: With more and more consumers treating their pets as members of the family, Meijer expects to sell more than 80,000 pet outfits and accessories this year by featuring an expanded selection of Star Wars licensed costumes and a wider assortment of dog apparel.
• Quick-and easy-costumes: Step-in or "bagged" costumes will provide customers with "no muss-no fuss" solutions this Halloween. Novelty costumes like Sharks, Bacon, Penguins, and Bananas are ever-popular for adults.
• Do-It-Yourself costumes: DIY has grown in popularity beyond the Meijer craft aisles. More and more adults are piecing together costumes for kids and family, which is why Meijer continues to offer a wide assortment of wigs and individual costume accessories. Meijer sells more black nail polish and novelty make-up during Halloween than any other time throughout the year.

Additionally, Meijer is hosting a Halloween Pets Costume Sweepstakes on its Facebook page. Beginning Oct. 18, upload a photo of your pet in a Halloween costume for a chance to win one of three sweepstakes packages that feature a year's worth of pet treats, Avanti greeting cards and free photo prints from Meijer Photo.  

For additional Halloween trends at Meijer, please see the Halloween Fact Sheet on the Meijer Newsroom.

About Meijer: Meijer is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates 222 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. As a pioneer of the "one-stop shopping" concept, Meijer stores have evolved through the years to include expanded fresh produce and meat departments, as well as pharmacies, comprehensive apparel departments, garden centers and electronic offerings. For additional information on Meijer, please visit www.meijer.com. Follow Meijer on Twitter @twitter.com/meijer and @twitter.com/meijerPR or become a fan at www.facebook.com/meijer.

SOURCE Meijer