Retailers Slash Hershey Prices; Company Sees Last‑Minute Boost

U.S. retailers ramped up discounts on Hershey seasonal candy ahead of Halloween after the company raised prices this summer amid tariffs and rising cocoa costs. Datasembly and Jefferies data show one mass retailer put more than half of Hershey’s seasonal SKUs on sale, and Hershey was among food makers with one of the largest jumps in discounted volume. Cocoa and chocolate input costs have climbed sharply—driven by poor West African harvests, tariffs and broader grocery inflation—pushing retail chocolate prices up and contributing to flat unit sales even as dollar sales rise. Hershey called Halloween sales “somewhat soft,” blaming warmer weather and a Friday holiday that concentrated purchases late, but said it expects last‑minute buying could help reach prior‑year levels. Retailers including Target and Walmart offered earlier, deeper promotions and steep last‑minute bundles to move inventory, and the industry is responding with shrinkflation, recipe tweaks to use less cocoa and more non‑chocolate varieties; Hershey says it will adjust seasonal product and marketing strategies accordingly.