Halloween’s Death to Candy Companies in Spain

The American landscape of children dressed in costumes, houses decorated with Halloween decor, and trick-or-treating happening in neighborhoods is not so similar to the spooky vibes of Barcelona. The night of Halloween is quite normal for most, with daily activities occurring and maybe one in ten people wearing a costume. Most of those in costume are older, in their late teenage years to twenties. These people venture to celebrations and clubs to spend the late night to early morning dancing with friends. With the absence of the classic American trick-or-treating tradition, candy companies now face a market that does not capitalize on a holiday that brings in the most sales for them. This article will focus on the spooky comparison of the love for candy in the United States and Spain.

To begin with, the United States has the largest market in the world by quite a lot. According to Euromonitor, the United States has a market size of $54.2 billion and holds an expected growth rate of 3.2% from 2024 to 2029. The main companies that dominate the candy industry in the United States are The Hershey Co., Mars Inc., and Ferrero & related parties. In perspective, Germany has the second-largest market size with $14.4 billion and an expected growth rate of -0.1% from 2024 to 2029. The United States holds 23.5% of the global market share of all sweet treats. Statista reported that over $3.4 billion of candy was sold for Halloween celebrations. Now, looking at the flipside of the American market is the Spanish situation.

The Spanish market for candy is currently the 16th largest in the world, with a market value of $3 billion in 2024. The growth for this industry sits at a low 0.5%, with the main market leaders being Nestlé SA, Ferrero & related parties, and Mars, Inc. The country as a whole does not invest heavily in candy spending, and the market size is less than the candy spending in the United States. An additional comparison of the United States and Spain within candy purchases is that 93.3% of candy purchases in Spain come from grocery stores, while in the United States, 73% come from grocery stores and 17% from non-grocery retailers. Germany is the highest spender in Europe, with an estimated $2.7 billion in sales of treats. So, the collective thought is that the highest spender on candy could possibly be the greatest participant in Halloween. According to the World Population Review, the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, and France are the most welcoming to celebrate the festivity. Even though Germany is not on the list, the country celebrates St. Martin’s Day, which is near Halloween and follows similar traditions to trick-or-treating. In Spain, the need for Halloween can be a step in the right direction to grow in market size and popularity. Could this be due to a lack of globalization, traditions of Spaniards focusing on La Castanyada, or the healthy lifestyle in which many Mediterranean folks live by?