Retailers across the garden, DIY and homewares market have been getting into the spirit of Halloween, and their efforts won't be in vain according to UK Point of Sale, who says the season will be the third most significant for retailers behind Christmas and Easter this year.
According to the group, consumers spent £315m over the lucrative period last year, and this year it is encouraging retailers to get spooky with their shopfloors to help draw in new consumers as well as re-coup lost sales from the summer.

Garden centres up and down the country have been getting into the scary spirit with gusto; Gordale Garden Centre in Cheshire has been hosting a Halloween Fun House with pumpkin carving activities over the past 10 days.

Also greeting their customers with a scare is Garsons Garden Centre of Esher, whose entrance way has been completely transformed into a creepy display complete with giant spider hanging from the ceiling. Hundreds of pumpkins, meanwhile, could be found in crates in front of the store last weekend, and bosses assured DIY Week they expected to sell every one.

Also getting in on the spooktacular action was Garden & Leisure's Endsleigh Garden Centre, which featured a special Halloween display feature in the midst of its gift section. The display "greatly increased sales of [Endsleigh's] Halloween products, including terracotta pumplins and witches' hats," marketing manager Justin Avery told DIY Week. The centre's popular Kids' Club hosted a sold-out Halloween party for 80 children this week, featuring local entertainer Billy Wiz.

Notcutts Garden Centre also made the most of the half-term holiday coinciding with the season, hosting a Spooky Hunt across its Norwich store. Visitors could also participate in a pumpkin carving competition, mask making and a fancy dress day.

Home and garden store Value House in Weymouth took the holiday very literally, with fancy dress, competitions and a local author telling spooky stories all day.

Garden centres aren't the only ones making the most of the season, with Screwfix promoting a Spooky Savings: Darker Nights line of generators, site lights, hi-vis clothing and alarm kits as well as torches and padlocks. B&Q is taking a different tack, not only promoting Halloween themes in store but hosting "Kids Can Do it Too" workshops for seven to eleven-year-olds at selected warehouses. Although billed as Halloween Workshops, the sessions incorporate basic instruction on sawing, drilling, gluing and nailing.

See DIY Week's exclusive slideshow of retailers' Halloween displays here.