Despite releasing a slew of new Halloween treats for 2020, and a Sam’s Club exclusive Superhero Pack, Hershey has said that it will be packaging less Halloween candy overall to avoid having leftover stock that it would have to pull back or try to sell at a discount.
Before you freak out and start hoarding peanut butter cups like toilet paper, it’s important to realize that this doesn’t mean there will be a candy shortage during Halloween 2020. Hershey confirmed there would be enough candy; it just might not be packaged in Halloween-themed packaging.
“We did not produce less candy for the Halloween season,” says Kaylee Dugan, a spokesperson for Hershey. “As a way to balance the many ways people will celebrate over the entire season, from baking to movie watching to candy dishes and more, we produced a mix of Halloween-themed and everyday branded packaging that people love during the Halloween season.”
The news comes as the entire candy industry braces for what COVID-19 might do to this year’s Halloween candy sales. Easter sales fell 4.1% according to the National Confectioners Association. It’s possible the pandemic could have a similar or worse impact on Halloween. Typically Halloween generates a tenth of Hershey’s sales.
Mars Wrigley, which announced the return of Zombie Skittles early last month shared at the time that it would be a bit more conservative this Halloween making sure the right range and quantities of candy were showing up in stores and online.
So if you’re a sucker for those Halloween-themed candy wrappers and packages, now might be the best time to stock up as they likely won’t be on store shelves long.
