Summer holidays may be over, but Canadians are already looking forward to Thanksgiving on October 10th. And it is not just the Thanksgiving feast and family time that have Canadians excited, manufacturers and retailers are looking forward to one of the busiest shopping weeks of the year. Thanksgiving is the sixth most important shopping week for consumer packaged goods (CPG) retailers. Last year, average weekly sales increased 7% during the week leading into Thanksgiving (week ending Oct. 10, 2015).

While Thanksgiving may be a key week for all CPG sales, it is the top week in Canada for turkey sales. The week leading up to Thanksgiving 2015 saw the sale of more than $32 million in turkey alone, which accounted for 12% of annual turkey sales.

Turkey isn’t the only items Canadian are stocking up on for their Thanksgiving dinners, they are also shopping for Thanksgiving staples. With multiple uses for recipes and decorating, it’s no surprise that festive holiday shoppers are picking up pumpkins in stores. Last year, 15% of annual pumpkin sales occurred the week of the fall holiday. Cranberry sauces and stuffing mixes also saw higher than average sales during the week in 2015, accounting for 12% each of their annual sales in a mere seven days. Pie filling, ham, pie crust mixes, whipped toppings, gravy and squash round out the top 10 CPG items with the highest annual sales the week leading up to Thanksgiving.

As Canadians eagerly anticipate the a long weekend, they can look forward to a table full of their holiday favourites while sitting down with their families. And with many consumers getting ready for the first holiday of the fall, retailers and manufacturers are busy stocking shelves with all the trimmings to ensure consumers’ tables will be filled with all the fixings.