Sweets: Halloween sales up 11 per cent. Turnover of 293 million in the first half of the year

Halloween is just round the corner and is undoubtedly one of the peak periods for sweet sales: in October, sales rise by 11.4 per cent compared with the monthly average, totalling over 55 million euros.
But this is a product that Italians enjoy all year round: according to Nielsen data reported for the occasion by Unione Italia Food, turnover reached 293 million in the first half of this year alone, remaining stable compared with the previous year, with a total of 25.8 million kg of sweets sold. The sector was driven by hard and filled sweets, totalling 9.9 million kg, followed by chewy sweets at 9.4 million kg (NielsenIQ Retail Measurement, July 2026).

Year-on-year compared with 2019, Circana estimates growth of 6.5% to a total of around 60,000 tonnes in the retail sector alone, representing a turnover of close to 615 million euros.
Unione Italiana Food also takes stock of flavour trends: as highlighted by an AstraRicerche survey, the most popular flavour is citrus (44%), followed by strong or balsamic mint (39%) and liquorice (36%). Among the most popular flavours are also eucalyptus and aniseed (34 per cent), and wild berries (27 per cent).

Sweets are the most widely consumed confectionery product (65 per cent) during Halloween, surpassing chocolates (56 per cent), snacks (38 per cent) and biscuits (32 per cent). From a celebration for the few, fuelled mainly by American cinema and pop culture, Halloween has gradually evolved into a mass event, generating significant economic revenue each autumn amounting to around 300 million euros, according to Confesercenti Ipsos estimates for 2025.

According to the same survey, Halloween has seen widespread participation in recent years, reaching 70 per cent among the under-35s. “It is therefore no surprise that they are the main drivers of the sweet market, the quintessential symbol of ‘trick-or-treat’ night,” say representatives of Unione Italiana Food, who report that three out of four members of Generation Z eat sweets and over half (56 per cent) do so regularly. “This passion is also reflected in their purchasing preferences: young people favour chewy sweets (48 per cent) and soft sweets (42 per cent) above all else, loved for their unique textures and perfectly in keeping with the playful and creative spirit of Halloween.”