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BUSINESS Thursday 24 sepTember 2020
Americans load up on candy, trick or treat - or not

By DEE-ANN DURBIN market is going to cele-
Americans may not know brate a little bit differently,"
if trick or treating will hap- LeBel said.
pen this year because of CVS Caremark says it's re-
the pandemic, but they're duced the number of large
buying a lot of Halloween and giant bags of candy
candy while they wait to stores will receive. It's also
find out. expanded its assortment of
U.S. sales of Halloween "instant consumable" sized
candy were up 13% over candy and gum that par-
last year in the month end- ents can pick up to treat
ing Sept. 6, according to themselves. Target says it's
data from market research cut back its assortment of
firm IRI and the National Halloween candy in an-
Confectioners Associa- ticipation of a reduction of
tion. That's a bigger jump trick or treating this year.
than the usual single-digit Still, online sales could give
increases. Sales of Hallow- candy companies a boost
een chocolate alone are as the pandemic changed
up 25%. shopping habits. Digital
Earlier Halloween displays sales more than doubled
at some chains, like dollar at Easter, LeBel said, and
stores, Meijer and ShopRite, that could happen again
likely helped boost sales. In this Oct. 31, 2018 file photo, a local convenient store worker, hands out candy to trick or treaters at Halloween.
But Americans may also on Halloween in Brooklyn Borough of New York. Companies have also shift-
be in a mood to celebrate Associated Press ed their marketing in re-
after months of pandemic sponse to the pandemic.
anxiety. by Christmas and Easter. in the state. But some cities, gust and found that 52% Mars is launching a Treat
Cassandra Ambrosius, who Valentine's Day is a distant like Springfield, Massachu- planned to buy less candy Town website that will let
lives in central Wisconsin, fourth. setts, and Antigo, Wiscon- this year than they usually people trick or treat virtual-
was surprised to see bags Ferrara Candy Co., which sin, have called it off. Big do. Just 11% planned to ly and earn credits toward
of Halloween candy at the makes Brach's Candy Corn, Halloween events at plac- buy more. real candy. Hershey has a
grocery in early Septem- says it saw online demand es like Disney World and Sa- Candy companies have map showing COVID risk by
ber; her husband snapped three months earlier than lem, Massachusetts aren't been making some chang- county on its website.
one up. She expects to buy usual. Some stores also happening. es to deal with all the un- Miranda Leon of Albany,
more bags as Halloween asked Ferrara for earlier Ben Reed, of Arlington, Tex- certainty around Hallow- Georgia, still plans to buy
gets closer, because she shipments. as, takes pride in giving out een. Hershey is selling fewer Halloween candy in mid-
thinks people in her neigh- But while early demand are full-size candy bars for Hal- large Halloween-themed October and make treat
borhood will figure out how strong, sales in late October loween. He usually buys be- bags of candy and shift- bags for her three kids'
to trick or treat safely. could suffer if the coronavi- tween 160 and 200 candy ing more candy to smaller, classrooms. There's no of-
"I'm sure people are just rus clamps down on trick or bars. everyday bags that can still ficial word on Halloween
excited for a little sense of treat. Fifty-five percent of "This year I have no idea be sold after the holiday, in her city, but she plans to
normalcy," Ambrosius said. Mars Wrigley's Halloween how many to purchase," he said Phil Stanley, Hershey's take her kids trick or treat-
That enthusiasm is good candy sales usually hap- said. "I do not want to dis- global chief sales officer. ing and hand out candy.
news for candy compa- pen in the last two weeks appoint the kids, but on the Mars is customizing bag "So much has been taken
nies, which rely on the 10- of October, says Tim LeBel, other hand, I do not want sizes. A place like Los An- from our kids this year —
week Halloween period for the company's chief Hal- to be stuck with too many geles County, which is dis- classes cut short, sports
nearly 14% of their annual loween officer and head of and add more COVID couraging trick or treating, cancelled, summer camps
$36 billion in U.S. sales. Hal- U.S. sales. pounds to myself." may get smaller bags, for cancelled," she said. "I re-
loween is the biggest holi- New York's governor re- Numerator, a market re- example. fuse to take away the joy
day of the year for candy cently announced that he search firm, surveyed 2,000 "We're trying to cover all of trick or treating from my
makers, followed closely won't ban trick or treating consumers in early Au- the bases because each kids."q

Wells Fargo CEO apologizes

for comments about diversity

By KEN SWEET memo to employees was workers," said Rep. Alex-
AP Business Writer written in June, but be- andra Ocasio-Cortez of
NEW YORK (AP) — Wells came public this week. New York, on Twitter.
Fargo CEO Charles Scharf The comments and simi- Scharf on Wednesday
apologized Wednesday lar statements made in a said in a prepared state-
for comments he made Zoom meeting, reported ment that his comments
about the difficulty of find- by Reuters, led to an in- reflected "my own uncon-
ing qualified Black execu- tense backlash in Wash- scious bias."
tives. ington and on social me- "There is no question Wells
Scharf said that "there is a dia. Fargo has to make mean- In this March 10, 2020 file photo, Wells Fargo CEO and Presi-
very limited pool of Black "Perhaps it is the CEO of ingful progress to increase dent Charles Scharf is seated before he testifies during a hear-
talent to recruit from" in Wells Fargo who lacks diverse representation," ing of the House Financial Services Committee, on Capitol Hill,
corporate America. The the talent to recruit Black he wrote. q in Washington.
Associated Press