As Easter approaches, one thing remains a constant amid some economic turbulence: customers continue craving sweet treats.
Consumers plan to spend $23.6 billion on the spring holiday this year — up from $22.4 billion last year — with candy the overwhelmingly most popular item to purchase among 92% of shoppers, according to a survey released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.
The trend holds true at Nibbles & Bits in Dunmore and Hazleton-based Victoria’s Candies.
“We’re right on track and up about 5% from where we were last year,” said Maggie Calpin, owner of Nibbles & Bits on South Blakely Street. “I think people like to eat their feelings … I said that during COVID and I’m saying it again with inflation. People like to snack — it gets them through their day.”
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Nibbles and Bits sales associates Isabella Fanucci of Clarks Summit, front, and Leah Saravitz of Mayfield prepare candy for the case at the shop in Dunmore on Wednesday. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO)
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White chocolate chick ganache truffles at Nibbles and Bits in Dunmore. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO)
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Nibbles and Bits sales associates Isabella Fanucci of Clarks Summit, front, and Leah Saravitz of Mayfield prepare candy for the case at the shop in Dunmore on Wednesday. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO)
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Calpin recently had patrons travel from Minersville, Bethlehem and Williamsport after learning about her vibrant shop on TikTok and WNEP’s “Home & Backyard” TV show.
Paul Esposito, owner and president of Victoria’s Candies, also noticed a swarm of customers leading up to Easter.
“Our demand has been up substantially because we’re still making a very good, quality product,” he said. “We haven’t changed our sizes down to what other manufacturers have been doing, so people see great value in our products. I think that’s why we’re seeing increased sales. When people are spending money, they’d much rather spend it on quality than the average candy bar. We’ve been selling a lot of our hollow molds, Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies. Jelly beans seem to be a hot item this year, too.”
In addition to its factory store on North Conahan Drive in Hazleton, Victoria’s also has retail locations at the Laurel Mall in Hazle Twp. and the Gateway Shopping Center in Edwardsville.
The survey found many consumers — 63% — are inspired by traditions while shopping for Easter-related items.
Esposito, president of the Retail Confectioners Association of Philadelphia, feels customers often splurge on candy for the holidays.
“Seeing the trends across our industry, chocolates are always something people are willing to indulge in, even in hard times,” he said.
For Calpin, similar to Valentine’s Day and Halloween, Easter continues to become a bigger retail event.
“We’ve noticed the holidays are getting larger and larger,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot of people getting gifts for the elderly. It’s tradition, it’s family, it’s people thinking of each other, and I think people like it because it’s happy.”
Both businesses have been ramping up production and preparing for the final rush leading up to April 20.
“We make anywhere from 500 to 1,000 of each specialty item and we sell out,” Calpin said. “We’re on the third round of truffles. We keep pumping them out and everything is made fresh. It’s a lot of 15-to-18-hour days. We’ve been shipping chocolates all across the country — Oregon, California and Texas. This week it’s going to be a madhouse. In the past years, I think people prepared where now they have so much going on in their lives and they’re waiting. Easter is later this year, so I think people are easing into it.”
Esposito added workers at Victoria’s have also been busy producing a variety of different candies.
“We have more than 300 different items for Easter,” he said. “We introduce new chocolate molds each Easter season — whatever is trendy for the year, and the chocolate-covered divinity egg is really popular this time of the year. There are wait times in our stores, and we sell to other candy stores throughout the country and they’re really busy, too. We’re running at 100% capacity to keep up with demand.”
Some of the best-selling Easter treats at Nibbles & Bits include caramel brownie carrots, chick Oreo pops, and s’mores with homemade marshmallow, Calpin said.
Calpin noted the s’more — which features a little bunny butt and grass with edible Oreo dirt — is a new design this year.
“I’m already thinking about next year,” she said. “It’s kind of fun that everyone bounces around to their favorite stores.”