SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 11, 2005--Almost two-fifths of Americans say you are never too old to trick-or-treat. That's good news for consumers who plan to spend an average of 3.6 percent more than last year on Halloween-related purchases, including chocolate, the No. 1 rated treat. These and other trends are revealed in the latest Shopping in America Halloween 2005 survey, conducted for The Macerich Company (NYSE:MAC) by August Partners.
Trick-or-Treating
The results of the national survey, which polled more than 4,300 shoppers, show that 58 percent plan to take part in Halloween activities. Forty-four (44) percent of revelers plan to trick-or-treat -- up slightly from last year (41 percent).
-- Most (70 percent) will trick-or-treat in their own
neighborhood, with malls (8 percent) coming in as the second
most popular destination
-- Sixty-two (62) percent will decorate their home
-- The majority (60 percent) will wear a costume
-- Forty-four (44) percent will wear a costume to school or work
Thirty-eight (38) percent of shoppers say you are never too old to trick-or-treat. Other shoppers are divided on the appropriate age limit to participate in the annual goodie-gathering event: 6 percent say age 10 or older (+); 16 percent say 12+; 19 percent say 15+; 14 percent say 18+; and 8 percent say 20+.
"Halloween is popular among consumers of all ages, with the average shopper planning to spend $51.00, nearly 4 percent more than last year," said Garry Butcher, vice president of marketing and consumer research for The Macerich Company. "Even senior citizens plan to join in the festivities, with those 75+ representing the second largest age group of trick-or-treaters, just behind the 12-to-17-year-olds (the youngest group surveyed)."
Trick-or-Treating by Age
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12-17 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+
67.7% 39.7% 37.9% 36.0% 24.2% 24.7% 23.4% 42.1%
The Southern region of the country will see the greatest number of trick-or-treaters (49 percent). Westerners are least likely to trick-or-treat (33 percent).
Trick-or-Treating by U.S. Region
--------------------------------
Total West Midwest South Northeast
43.5% 33.1% 45.6% 49.0% 44.6%
Favorite Treats
So what do treaters most hope to see in their bags this Halloween? Shoppers rated chocolate, money and chewy candy as their top three favorite treats. Stickers and fruit came in last.
Favorite Treats
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Chocolate 48.8% Gum 4.1%
Money 14.8% Candy Apple 3.9%
Chewy Candy 9.5% Fruit 3.6%
Hard Candy 7.6% Stickers 0.7%
Popcorn 4.3% Other 2.9%
Scary Movie Characters & Costume Picks
Shoppers surveyed named Freddy Krueger (18 percent) as their favorite scary movie character. Jason (15 percent), Michael Myers (10 percent), the Scream mask (10 percent) and Chucky (8 percent) also ranked in the top five picks.
"Scary themes are trending well this year, as shoppers rated scary or evil looks as the top Halloween costume category," added Butcher. TV/movie characters and fantasy costumes will also be popular according to the survey. (Additional Shopping in America survey costume results were released in late September.)
Shopping in America is a national shopper intercept survey that studies consumer-shopping trends. The Halloween 2005 survey was conducted among 4,345 shoppers in 13 regional shopping centers geographically spread throughout the United States. Respondents ranged in age from 12 to 75+ years. Not all results are stated in this news release and some are rounded to the nearest whole number. Data totals are subject to a +/- 1.5 percent margin of error.
To view the complete Shopping in America results, including top costumes and other trends, visit www.shoppinginamerica.biz.
The Macerich Company is a fully integrated self-managed and self- administered real estate investment trust, which focuses on the acquisition, leasing, management, development and redevelopment of regional malls throughout the United States. The Company is the sole general partner and owns an 81% ownership interest in The Macerich Partnership, L.P. Macerich owns approximately 79 million square feet of gross leaseable area consisting primarily of interests in 76 regional malls. Additional information about The Macerich Company can be obtained from the Company's web site at www.macerich.com.
CONTACT: Lovell Public Relations
Tresa Hardt or Colleen Matthews, 972-788-4511
thardt@lovellpr.com
SOURCE: The Macerich Company