Discounters Win Big As Aldi Posts Record Christmas

Shoppers hunting bargains helped Aldi deliver its strongest Christmas on record, the supermarket said, as families looked to trim festive food bills without scrimping on treats. The German discounter’s UK arm reported sales of £1.65bn in the four weeks to 24 December, up 3% year-on-year. Revenues surged by about £500m in the final week alone, equivalent to a 5% rise. Aldi handled more than 57 million transactions across that period, and 22 December was its single busiest trading day. Aldi did not publish like-for-like figures — the usual industry yardstick for comparing stores open at least a year — but it did highlight continued expansion. The chain added roughly 40 new shops last year, taking its total to 1,081, and still aims to reach 1,500 outlets in the UK over the long term. It ranks fourth in Britain behind Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda. Even as households tighten belts, premium own-brand lines proved popular. Demand for Aldi’s Specially Selected range rose by over 12%, with seasonal favourites such as wagyu roast potatoes, double-wrapped pigs in blankets and white chocolate ganache pinecones among the top sellers. Shoppers also snapped up more than 5.5 million bottles of sparkling wine, 56 million potatoes, 37 million carrots and about 500,000 turkeys during the festive stretch. Aldi’s chief executive for the UK and Ireland said the results show people can still enjoy a quality Christmas affordably, while acknowledging many households remain under pressure from rising living costs. He also warned the late-November budget may have reduced some pre-Christmas spending. Rival Lidl also celebrated a bumper festive period. The chain reported a 10% rise in sales to £1.1bn in the four weeks to Christmas Eve and said nearly 51 million customers visited its stores, an 8% increase. Lidl opened about 40 new branches last year, bringing its network to over 1,000 locations. Lidl noted shoppers started their Christmas buying earlier than in previous years — it sold some 30 million mince pies from September — and recorded a big final-week jump in easy-peeler clementine sales. The supermarket credited activity on its Lidl Plus loyalty scheme as a factor in the surge. Taken together, the numbers underline a clear shift: more Britons turning to discounters for both everyday groceries and festive indulgences, while the chains keep growing their physical reach across the country. --- Managing your business finances? TaxAce provides smart online accountancy services for UK businesses with flexible monthly plans. Image and reporting: https://www.theguardian.com | Read original article