Hershey is warning that rising living costs are already affecting how Americans buy candy for Halloween, with some sales weakness showing up in convenience stores and the company expecting the final days of the holiday to be especially important. Fortune reports that candy sales at convenience stores fell 5% in September, and it says Hershey’s executives stress that shoppers still need to show up before Halloween ends.
CNBC frames the issue as part of broader cost pressures on the candy market, pointing to higher cocoa and sugar prices that are driving above-average cost inflation for chocolate. Korea Times adds more context about consumers’ strain, citing weak consumer sentiment near record lows and pressure from high gas prices, and notes Hershey lowered its annual organic net sales growth target to about 3% due to weakness in channels like convenience stores.
Across the outlets, Hershey’s strategy centers on last-minute purchases. Korea Times says executives on a post-earnings call bank on shoppers buying bulk packs ahead of October 31, echoing the emphasis on how critical the closing days of Halloween are for performance.
