Retail Council of Canada's Halloween 2007 Consumer Trends
Halloween is a Tradition Among Canadians with 68% Planning to Celebrate

Toronto, October 11, 2007 – According to a new study conducted by Pollara on behalf of Retail Council of Canada, 68% of Canadians plan to participate in at least one Halloween-related activity this year, such as going to a party, wearing a costume, handing out candy, taking children trick-or-treating, getting together with friends, and/or decorating their home. On average, Canadians plan to spend effectively the same amount this year at $59 on items such as candy, pumpkins, costumes and decorations, compared to $60 in 2006.

"Halloween brings out the kid in all of us and Canadians like to celebrate the spookiest day of the year with traditional items such as pumpkins, candy and other treats, along with costumes and decorations," says Diane J. Brisebois, President and CEO of Retail Council of Canada. "Interestingly, men seem to really embrace the spirit of the day as they intend to spend more on Halloween items at $64, compared to women at $56."

"This year's survey results are similar to last year's, proving that Canadians have a real affection for Halloween traditions such as getting together with friends, dressing up in a costume, taking their kids trick-or-treating, handing out candy or decorating their homes," says Martin Hrobsky, Research Consultant, Pollara.

Of those surveyed, 76% plan to spend the same amount on Halloween items as they did in 2006 ($60), while 13% plan to spend more and 11% plan to spend less.

Highlights of the survey include:

Who is Buying

• Among those who will be buying this Halloween, residents in British Columbia lead the average anticipated personal spending at $77, followed by Albertans at $66 and Ontarians at $59. Residents in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces intend to spend $53 and $52 respectively, while residents of the Prairies intend to spend the least at $50.
• Households with at least one child under the age of 18 expect to spend more on Halloween-related items ($72) than those households with no children ($51).
• On average, men intend to spend more on Halloween items than women: $64 compared to $56, respectively.
• Men between the ages of 18-34 will spend the most on Halloween items at $72, while women aged 55 years and older will spend the least at $33.

Popular Halloween Purchases
Candy, Chocolates and Other Halloween Treats

• 77% of Canadians plan to buy candy, chocolates and/or other Halloween treats and expect to spend $30 on average.
• Residents of Alberta plan to spend the most at $32, while residents of the Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario intend to spend $30 respectively. Following are the Prairies at $27 and British Columbia at $26.
• On average, men plan to spend $31 on candy, chocolates and other Halloween treats, while women plan to spend $28.

Costumes

• 47% of Canadians plan to purchase or rent Halloween costumes and are looking to spend $38 on average.

Decorations

• 41% of Canadians intend to decorate this Halloween and indicate they are looking to spend $19 on average.

Pumpkins

• Pumpkins continue to be a Halloween tradition, with 56% of Canadians planning to buy pumpkins and spending $9 on average.

Halloween Cards

• Only 5% of Canadians plan to buy Halloween cards and intend to spend $8 on average.

About the Study
These are the findings of a Retail Council of Canada/Pollara poll conducted from September 28 to October 3, 2007. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 2,072 adult Canadians was polled through an online omnibus. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate ±2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 2001 Census data. The actual results of Halloween sales may differ/vary from the intentions stated in these findings.

> For detailed research tables, click here or visit www.pollara.ca.

About Retail Council of Canada
Retail Council of Canada (www.retailcouncil.org) is the Voice of Retail. It is a not-for-profit association representing more than 40,000 stores of all retail formats, including independent merchants, regional and national mass and specialty chains, and online merchants.

About POLLARA
Pollara (www.pollara.ca), a leading Canadian public opinion and marketing research firm, helps its clients improve their performance through strategic research designed and analyzed by consultants who are experts in their fields. Pollara provides a full range of research and strategy services to leading global, national, and local companies and to public and non-profit sector organizations.

For more information, contact:
Retail Council of Canada
Stephanie Petroff
Tel.: (416) 922-0553, ext. 228
E-mail: spetroff@retailcouncil.org

POLLARA
Martin Hrobsky
Tel.: (416) 921-0090
E-mail: mhro@pollara.ca