While giving loved ones chocolate is synonymous with Valentine’s Day, far more chocolate is actually sold in the week leading up to Easter, according to Nielsen.  Consumers will buy almost a half billion dollars of candy during that time, with approximately 70 percent of that spent on chocolate.  Nearly 71 million pounds of chocolate candy is sold in the week leading up to Easter, compared to approximately 48 million pounds sold during Valentine’s week.  By comparison, nearly 90 million pounds of chocolate candy is sold during Halloween week.   Other key …

Sales of private brands are up 10% this year — to $80.3 billion in the U.S., Nielsen reported Friday.
Private label dollar sales are being driven primarily by higher commodity pricing — especially in staple categories that are dominated by private brands. But in recent weeks, private label unit sales have also grown — a sign that consumers are starting to shift away from established brands in search of better deals.
Among private label food brands, flour (+35%), baby food (+33%), and fresh eggs (+28.2%) showed the largest dollar percent change during …