July 15, 2025 in ARTICLES
In Supply Chain, Reliability is Everything.
For Shawn McCreary, VP of Supply Chain at Spencer’s and Spirit Halloween, logistics isn’t just a back-end function—it’s the heartbeat of his seasonal business model.
Spencer’s runs year-round, mostly within shopping malls across the U.S. and Canada. But Spirit Halloween? That’s an entirely different animal. It’s an all-hands-on-deck, seasonal sprint that demands flawless execution in a brutally compressed timeline. And that’s where reliability, like that of APL Logistics, comes into play.
Seasonal Surge, No Room for Error
Every year, Spirit Halloween goes from zero to hundreds of stores—fast. “We’re going to go from literally doing nothing volume-wise to a tremendous amount of business in a very short period of time with no margin for error,” McCreary says.
It’s not just about shipping. It’s about timing. Products have to arrive in the U.S. from China, sometimes in the face of global disruptions, and land in stores by early August. “We’ve got to get it in on time because we start opening Halloween stores August 1st every year—400 stores, let’s say, that week, and every week another 400 or 500,” McCreary explains. “Everything is based on this very strict calendar timeframe.” If they miss that window, they can miss the season.
Why APLL Matters
For Spirit, the supply chain isn’t a background process—it’s the business. Which is why McCreary sees APLL not as a vendor, but as an extension of their organization. “They do critical work for us, essential work, and they’re extremely responsive,” he says.
In today’s unpredictable global landscape, steady hands are hard to come by. But APLL has shown the flexibility and commitment needed to scale with Spirit Halloween’s intense seasonal swings. “Everything that we ask for as a business need, they’ve come through for us. It makes me extremely happy—and our company extremely happy—when you can get a valued business partner that you can grow with, and you have confidence in, and they understand you and your business.”
Growing Together: From Halloween to Christmas
What’s next? McCreary says the model they’ve built for Spirit Halloween is now expanding into Spirit Christmas. “The business model is to take Spirit Halloween stores and just transition them into Spirit Christmas stores,” he explains. “APLL will be a key business partner for us to grow all that together as we manage these now three businesses going forward with unlimited potential.”
With Spencer’s, Spirit Halloween, and now Spirit Christmas under one roof, the supply chain stakes are only getting higher. But with APLL in the mix, McCreary sees nothing but opportunity ahead.
“So to develop a business partnership with a provider that understands that and will be able to scale up with us and grow with us is extremely important—because obviously, in supply chain, reliability is everything.”
APL Logistics stands out as a true asset to retail brands. As McCreary’s testimonial makes clear, reliability, flexibility, and deep collaboration define APL’s approach—and those qualities are exactly what retailers need in today’s fast-paced, high-pressure environment.
With its global expertise and network spanning over 120 service locations across 60 countries, APL Logistics is committed to empowering supply chains for success. Our supply chain solutions leverage the experience of our committed professionals and cutting-edge technology to equip businesses with the tools to improve resilience, boost efficiency, and drive revenue growth.
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