The candy craze captured more consumers than ever as they progressed through the costumes of Halloween season to the romance of Valentine’s Day. Seasonal candy sales remained up over 20% from the previous year and over 30% higher than two years ago. While this growth can be primarily attributed to a continually growing buy rate in the category, household penetration also remained up compared to years past.
Everyday candy proved that a sweet tooth is not only limited to holidays. Sales of non-seasonal candy – which make up the bulk of overall candy sales throughout the year– also remained elevated versus YA and 2YA for the last 6 months. This was driven by higher buy rates per household and a small increase in overall household penetration.