Retailers to Carve Out Another Successful Halloween---------- Washington, DC, September 28, 2004 – Retailers across the country are filling their shelves with the spookiest merchandise available to meet the demands of consumers already hunting for Halloween items, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). The NRF 2004 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, found that Halloween spending this year is estimated to reach $3.12 billion, up from $2.96 billion last year. Survey results indicate that the average consumer plans to spend $43.57 on Halloween merchandise this year. Sweets remain a popular Halloween purchase with the average consumer planning to spend $14.83 on candy this holiday, second only to costumes at $15.21. Halloween remains the second-biggest decorating holiday of the year with 61.8 percent of consumers planning to purchase decorations. "Halloween fills an important retail void between back-to-school and the holiday season," said NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin. "Many retailers are carving out quite a niche for themselves in the Halloween market." Halloween will be celebrated most among young adults, with more than 69 percent of 18-34-year-olds planning to celebrate the holiday. Over half of 18-24-year-olds will dress in costume (54.1%) and throw or attend a party (50.6%), while most consumers 55-plus will hand out candy (82.7%). Though some adults will be celebrating the holiday with their children, single adults are also getting in on the fun. "Young adults aren't willing to relinquish a holiday they grew up enjoying," said Phil Rist, Vice President of Strategy for BIGresearch. "Halloween remains one of the only days where society gives adults permission to act like kids again." Although the $3.12 billion to be spent on Halloween this year is significant, it remains the sixth-largest spending holiday after: Winter Holidays ($219.9 billion estimated), Valentine's Day ($12.79 billion), Easter ($10.47 billion), Mother's Day ($10.43 billion), and Father's Day ($8.04 billion). Because Halloween is not a gift-giving holiday or an apparel holiday, it ranks lower than other annual holidays in terms of spending. About the Survey The NRF 2004 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to Halloween. The survey, which polled 7,680 consumers, was conducted for NRF by BIGresearch from August 31 – September 8, 2004. The consumer poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.0 percent. BIGresearch is a consumer market intelligence firm that provides unique consumer insights that are gathered online utilizing very large sample sizes. BIGresearch’s syndicated Consumer Intentions and Actions survey monitors the pulse of more than 7,000 consumers each month to empower its clients with unique insights for identifying opportunities in a fragmented and changing marketplace. The National Retail Federation is the world's largest retail trade association, with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet and independent stores as well as the industry's key trading partners of retail goods and services. NRF represents an industry with more than 1.4 million U.S. retail establishments, more than 23 million employees - about one in five American workers - and 2003 sales of $3.8 trillion. As the industry umbrella group, NRF also represents more than 100 state, national and international retail associations. www.nrf.com.

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