Laura Sanders dips melted milk chocolate into molds to make chocolate bunnies for Easter at The Hot Chocolatier on Main Street. The shop is preparing for Easter where national sales of candy are predicted to reach $2.3 billion by Sunday.EASTER SALES OVER THE YEARS2012 $16.75 billion (projected)2011 $14.656 billion2010 $13.029 billion2009 $12.726 billion2008 $14.447 billion2007 $14.371 billionAVERAGE EASTER PER CAPITA SPENDINGClothing $26.11Candy $20.35Gifts $20.57Food $44.34Flowers $10.50Decorations $9.07Greeting cards $7.04Other $7.32Combined average $145.28Source: National Retail Federation
More than 400 pounds of chocolate bunnies, eggs, truffles and other treats will leave the doors of Main Street’s The Hot Chocolatier by the time the Easter Bunny finishes its Sunday morning rounds.
“We’ve been selling bunnies as fast as we can make them,” said owner Wendy Buckner. “I know it’s going to get busier in the next couple days.”
Sales so far are triple those of 2011 for what tends to be her highest-volume sales holiday of the year. To keep up with demand, she’s extending her hours tonight and Saturday and crafting as much as 80 pounds of chocolate a day.
Easter sales figures are expected to rise above pre-recession levels, led by strong food, clothing and, of course, candy sales. About 90 percent of consumers celebrating the unofficial start to spring plan to do so by spending about $20 on candy, according to data from the National Retail Federation.