April Sales of Eggs, Chocolate Candy, Matzo and Kosher Wine Expected to Rise as U.S. Consumers Prepare for Easter and Passover Celebrations

As consumers prepare to celebrate the Jewish festival of Passover (April 9 – 15) and the Christian festival of Easter (April 12), high retail sales are expected for items traditional to the holiday celebrations and the Passover Seder, the ritual dinners held on the first two nights of Passover. According to The Nielsen Company:

• Consumers are expected to buy more than 120 million pounds -- or nearly $500 million¹ -- in candy during the week leading up to Easter. Nielsen’s research shows that consumers are sweeter on chocolate candy, with approximately 70 percent of U.S. candy dollars spent on chocolate during Easter week.
• Nearly 71 million pounds of chocolate candy is sold during the week leading up to Easter. By comparison, nearly 48 million pounds of chocolate candy is sold during Valentine’s week and nearly 90 million pounds of chocolate candy is sold during Halloween week.
• More than 61 million dozen eggs are sold during the week leading up to Easter. Easter week is the top egg selling week of the year with sales 45 percent above average weekly sales. Easter Saturday (April 11) is the top buying day of the year for fresh eggs, followed by Good Friday (April 10).
• Consumers are expected to spend more than $3.5 million on matzo², the traditional unleavened bread, during the week leading up to Passover. The week leading up to the holiday is the highest sales week for matzo and matzo meal/mixes, with more than $1.2 million in sales expected.
• Nearly 1.5 million bottles, or $ 6.5 million³ in sales of kosher table wine, a traditional part of the Passover Seder, will be sold during the four weeks leading up to Passover, representing approximately 13 percent of the total year’s sales of kosher wines. Approximately 65 percent of that amount will be sold during the two week period just before and during the Passover holiday.

About The Nielsen Company

The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek). The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com.

¹ All Easter dollar figures represent sales in U.S. food, drug and mass merchandiser stores, including Walmart, for the week ending 3/22/08.

² Matzo and matzo meal/mixes data based on sales in U.S. food, drug and mass merchandiser stores, including Walmart, for the week ending 4/19/08.