Spirit Halloween Announces its Largest Store Footprint Ever

The niche Halloween store Spirit Halloween announced Tuesday it was opening 1,525 stores, the most in its history, this fall across North America. Already the nation's largest Halloween retailer, the 41-year-old seasonal company said it would hire thousands of associates to man the stores in the coming weeks. Over 1,100 locations are already open.

"The Halloween fandom continues to grow, and our incredible team works year-round to create an unparalleled and unique in-store experience that will engage customers all season long," said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. "Visiting a Spirit Halloween store is more than just a shopping trip — it's entertainment, it's tradition, it's creating moments and memories with family and friends that bring the magic of Halloween to life, and we're thrilled to welcome fans back to the show."

Total Retail's Take: Despite slowdowns in other areas of the retail market, consumer spending on fall and Halloween-related items has continued to grow year-over-year, as the National Retail Federation's 2023 survey shows. Last year, total spending on Halloween was expected to reach a record $12.2 billion.

Spirit Halloween employs a unique retail strategy — the pop-up shops move into any vacant premises for periods of three-and-a-half months and spend the rest of the year negotiating real estate deals and prepping for the following year. The strategy relies in part on the failure of other companies. Indeed, many Spirit Halloween stores can now be found in vacant former Toys R Us and Bed Bath & Beyond locations.