Advertorial: Drink in the sales this Halloween
Ruth Fawcett, Wholesale Associate Director, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, shares why the brand is so keen to treat everyone ahead of the spooky season
Seasonal occasions provide an exciting opportunity to drive sales, increase footfall and maximise profits. And in 2025, few occasions look set to be bigger than Halloween as it falls on a Friday this year.
“Whether families are embracing trick-or-treating, getting together with friends or celebrating at home, there’s no doubt that Halloween offers retailers a fantastic opportunity to drive sales, boost footfall and increase profitability,” says Ruth Fawcett, Wholesale Associate Director, CCEP.
“Soft drinks and the spookiest night of the year go hand in hand, with GB soft drinks value growth up more than £414m year-on-year during Halloween 2024 [1].
“Right now, retailers and wholesalers are facing a challenging time, so we wanted to support them with a range of products that not only delivers exceptional value but also engagement and excitement for consumers.”
Following the runaway success of Fanta’s Halloween limited editions in previous years, CCEP wanted to deliver even bigger and better support than ever.
“Our Halloween Fanta limited editions have become very popular. In fact, our research has shown that half of Gen Z (50%) [2] have come to expect a specific Fanta Halloween flavour each year,” says Fawcett.
“So this year, we’re offering even more with a temporary Halloween pack makeover, a new limited-edition flavour and a great new PMP deal.”
For a limited time, while stocks last, Fanta’s bestselling 500ml core range – Fanta Orange, Fanta Lemon and Fanta Fruit Twist – will be available as a price-marked pack.
“These eye-catching limited-edition bottles grab attention on shelf and show off our biggest promotion,” explains Fawcett. “We know that this pricing strategy will resonate with wholesalers, retailers and the end consumer as everyone is looking for great value, and this delivers in every possible way.”
LIMITED EDITION
The Fanta range has received a temporary makeover featuring characters from new 2025 horror movies including Freddy Fazbear, The Grabber and M3GAN, plus we’re bringing back legendary pop-culture horror icon Chucky.
This year, Fanta Chucky’s Forest Berries Zero Sugar looks set to fly off the shelves, combining the taste of blood orange with a mysterious dark cherry undertone in a variety of formats, including 330ml cans, 500ml bottles and 2-litre bottles.
For wholesalers, the opportunity is unmissable. “Stock up now to ensure your retail customers can take advantage of all elements; the limited-edition flavour and our bestselling core range,” urges Fawcett. “These provide a fantastic opportunity for your customers to deliver great value and category excitement in one quick hit, which is invaluable in the current climate.”
In depot, the secret to sales is simple: “It’s all about activation. We have plenty of eye-catching POS available for wholesalers to communicate the value message, so give plenty of space to it and make some noise.”
Fanta volume sales increased 9.8% in the four weeks to end of October 2024 [3]
Fanta accounted for of soft drinks sales in Halloween 2024 [3] for 23.8%
(Sources: [1] Nielsen: Total Coverage: Grocery Multiples 2 w/e 02.11.24; [2] Mintel Consulting, Mintel Reports, Mintel GNPD, Mintel Flavourscape A; [3] Nielsen data to 02.11.24)
