Kroger Looks at What’s Trending for Fall

Football, Halloween, pumpkin spice craze will drive purchases this season

9/28/2022

Kroger expects Halloween to be the biggest cupcake-selling time of the year.

As autumn leaves start falling and cooler temperatures roll in, The Kroger Co. is predicting the top food trends, consumer behavior and popular products for the season. Pumpkin spice will remain a go-to for fall, and other traditions like football and Halloween will prompt additional purchases.

"Our customers' favorite foods change alongside the seasons," said Juan De Paoli, VP of Our Brands at Kroger. "This year, we know customers are experiencing an ongoing inflationary environment. We continue to do all we can to ensure our customers can create lasting food memories this fall with a growing and evolving portfolio of Our Brands products."

[Read more: "The Tricks to Halloween Treat Sales"]

Football season will bring the return of tailgating and a lift in sales for foods such as chips, soft drinks, hot dogs, dips, salsa and beer. Halloween is expected to be the biggest cupcake-selling time of year, and candy will, unsurprisingly, also be a big seller. According to Kroger's media arm 84.51º, 69% of customers surveyed plan to celebrate Halloween this year and 33% will stay home to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters.

"Football and Halloween are two hallmarks of the fall season," said Stuart Aitken, chief merchant and marketing officer for Kroger. "We are ready for our customers – whether they're building a world-class tailgating experience, decking out their homes for spooky season or curling up with their favorite fall treats and watching a movie."

The grocer is offering a bevy of pumpkin spice-centric products within its own brand portfolio, including Kroger Pumpkin Spice Eggnog, Kroger Pumpkin Spice Creamer, Kroger Pumpkin Pie Frozen Dessert Sandwiches, Bakery Fresh Goodness Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Muffins and Bakery Fresh Goodness Pumpkin Pie.

Serving 60 million households annually nationwide through a digital shopping experience, and almost 2,800 retail food stores under a variety of banner names, Cincinnati-based Kroger is No. 4 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.