Area florists and candy retailers expect sales will increase this Valentine's Day, one of the biggest gift-giving holidays of the year.
Brian McCarthy, owner of McCarthy Flowers, predicts his business will see a 15 percent sales increase this holiday over last year.
Valentine's Day falling on a Thursday also will help business, he said, since it gives men plenty of time to send flowers and it doesn't fall on a weekend, a popular time for couples to go out to dinner.
McCarthy Flowers has 35 locations in 13 states and local locations in Scranton, Clarks Summit and Dunmore, Mr. McCarthy said. He said he is seeing the economy turn around in a positive way and expects brisk business for Valentine's Day.
The National Retail Federation predicts consumers will be cautious and won't be ready to shell out big bucks for their loved ones for Valentine's Day, but candy retailers aren't worried.
Dave Hawk, owner and chairman of the board of Dunmore-based Gertrude Hawk Chocolates, which has 68 locations throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, said many prefer to buy chocolate for their loved ones instead of going out to dinner since chocolate is a relatively inexpensive gift.
The three most popular sellers at Gertrude Hawk Chocolates for Valentine's Day are chocolate-covered strawberries, peanut butter Smidgens and caramel apples, he said. Most of the Valentine's Day business comes late since men are typically last-minute shoppers, he said.
Michael Mootz expects sales will increase this Valentine's Day, the first year that his candy business is now in a new, bigger location on the Sans Souci Parkway, less than a half mile away from his former location in Hanover Twp. Every year, his business sees sales growth, he said.
"We're expecting to see a nice increase. We saw an increase at Christmastime," Mr. Mootz said. "We have more space and we have a lot more visibility."
Gift-wrapped heart boxes filled with assorted chocolates are popular gifts among men shoppers, Mr. Mootz said. Chocolate-covered strawberries and peanut butter assortments also are popular at Michael Mootz Candies, which is now located at 1246 Sans Souci Parkway.
"We ramped up our selection of hearts," Mr. Mootz said. "We are able to display more variety for our customers."
For Jon L. Stopay Candies, this marks the second Valentine's Day in a location in the Plains Plaza in Plains Twp., less than a mile away from its former candy store, which was flooded in September 2011.
"Business is typically brisk for Valentine's Day for us," said store manager Mary Ellen Ginochetti. "We take orders for chocolate-covered strawberries and we're also doing candy apples this year. We have a really large selection of heart boxes."
A survey conducted for the National Retail Federation by BIGinsight shows there will only be a slight increase in Valentine's Day expected sales this year, with the average person planning to spend $130.97 on candy, cards, gifts and more, up from $126.03 last year. Total spending will reach $18.6 billion, according to the survey.
"Valentine's Day remains one of the biggest gift-giving holidays of the year, and although consumers will be conscientious with their spending, it's great to see that millions of Americans are still looking forward to celebrating with their loved ones," said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. "Recognizing their customers will shop for both price and value, retailers and restaurants will offer plenty of promotions for anyone looking to spoil those that mean the most to them this Feb. 14."
According to the National Retail Federation survey, a mix of traditional and nontraditional Valentine's Day gifts will be popular this year. More than half of gift givers will buy candy, spending $1.6 billion in total, and another one-third will give flowers with total spending expected to top $1.9 billion. Others will treat their special someone to jewelry (19.7 percent), spending more than $1.6 billion. Gift cards also will be at the top of shoppers' lists. Fifteen percent of gift givers will buy gift cards for their loved ones, totaling $1.5 billion.
As price and value continue to top gift givers' minds, there will be no shortage of comparison shopping this Valentine's Day and much of it will be online. The survey found that more than one quarter (26.3 percent) of those celebrated this year plan to buy gifts online, up from 19.3 percent and the most in the survey's 10-year history.
The survey also showed that the average man will spend more than the average woman this year. Men will spend an average of $175.61 on jewelry, flowers, a romantic evening out and more, while women will spend about $88.78.
"There will be no shortage of deals in the coming days, so frugal consumers will keep a keen eye out for promotions on chocolates, flowers and even dining," said BIGinsight Consumer Insights Director Pam Goodfellow.
Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com