Easter egg sales melted by the moon

The early timing of the Easter holiday this year is putting retailers under pressure as the hot weather turns consumers off their usual chocolate egg treat.

Easter’s late-March timing this year is the earliest it has been since 1913. The date Easter falls on is determined each year according to the lunar cycle.

That has meant hotter Easter weather, an environment retailers have found is not so conducive to the chocolate and hot cross bun fare that usually flies off the shelves during the celebration.

Lindt retail brand manager John Candi told The Australian Financial Review that retailers had been forced to discount chocolate products by as much as 25%.

Higher chocolate prices haven’t helped either, with the world price of cocoa jumping from $US1800 to $2900 per tonne over the past year.

“Instead of a bunny costing $4 last year, it’s now costing $4.80,” one another (sweating) chocolatier told the paper.

>> Go here for Easter retail trading hours