Record Christmas for Aldi as festive sales top £1.4bn for first time

Sales at Aldi increased during the Christmas season as consumers flocked to the discount chain for their festive store in need of money.

The German supermarket posted its best-ever December with sales in the month exceeding £1.4 billion for the first time.

The 26 percent increase came as families with skyrocketing inflation looked for bargains, while the World Cup in the winter further exacerbated the usually busy time at the checkout.

Aldi UK chief Giles Hurley said it was all about “family and football”, with shoppers buying more than 48 million mince pies, 38 million pigs in blankets and more than 1,700 tonnes of sprouts in the weeks leading up to Christmas Day.

Fresh meats and cheeses also increased by 28 percent and 50 percent respectively.

Hurley added: ‘As the UK’s cheapest supermarket, we were able to help customers enjoy the Christmas they deserved.’

Victoria Scholar, an analyst at investment firm Interactive Investor, said customers were looking for cheaper alternatives this Christmas, benefiting Aldi and Lidl at the expense of Waitrose, Ocado and Morrisons.

Aldi ended the year with more than 990 stores in the UK, up from 950 in 2021.

Lidl UK chief Ryan McDonnell said it will serve 770,000 more customers per week by 2022 than the previous year.

Morrisons has seen its sales decline after being bought by US private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice in a £7bn deal in 2021.

In September, Aldi replaced Morrisons in the Big Four where Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco led the way.

But as shoppers flocked to Germany’s discounters during Christmas, analysts suggested that wealthier shoppers less likely to compromise on quality would likely have boosted more expensive rivals like Marks & Spencer.

AJ Bell analyst Danni Hewson said M&S would undoubtedly keep “the sparkle” with customers still eager to spend luxury items as a treat.