As American consumers get set to buy nearly 600 million pounds of candy this Halloween, they are choosing fewer store brand or private label sweets, opting instead for brand name treats.

It’s no surprise that chocolate sales pick up around Valentine’s Day.  Giving one’s sweetheart a box of chocolate candies has been associated with the holiday for generations.  During Valentine’s week, consumers will buy more than 58 million pounds of chocolate candy, ringing up $345 million in sales and accounting for 5.1 percent of total annual sales according to Nielsen.
Sale of sparkling wines also pop during the week: more than $8.6 million in sales are recorded during the week, the fourth-largest holiday for sales of bubbly after New Year’s, Christmas and …

Americans’ affinity for chocolate is widespread and well-known.  Its household penetration is 97.3 percent, and 96.7 percent of households repeatedly buy chocolate during the year.  In a twelve-month period, Americans bought chocolate candy on nearly 19 occasions.
But even this ubiquitous treat doesn’t seem to be immune to current economic conditions.  Since summer, equalized unit volume (EUV) has dropped uncharacteristically as consumers try to save money in every possible category.  Since July 2008, EUV sales have declined from 1.7 percent to 7.3 percent per month.  The category includes four segments: chocolate …

Tough economic times have forced Americans to reduce their gasoline consumption and curtail spending sprees at the grocery store.
But despite that, Americans are avidly consuming candy, Nielsen analysts told the Associated Press . Recent consumer research by Nielsen found that candy is one of a handful of discretionary items that remain virtually recession-proof. ” A dollar candy bar treat in the face of filling up the gas tank for nearly $100 can be a powerful psychological motivator,” James Russo, vice president of marketing, Nielsen, told the Associated Press.
For more detail on recession-proof and recession-vulnerable products, …