Aldi has recorded its best-ever Christmas sales, boosted by consumers trading up to its premium own-label products.
Over the four weeks to 24 December, the discounter’s total sales rose 3.4% to a record £1.6bn, with new store openings also contributing to the figure. However, the growth rate marked a significant slowdown from the 8% achieved the year before and follows a relatively disappointing 2024 for Aldi. Last week, key rival Lidl reported a 7% rise over the same period. Both chains don’t publish like-for-like figures.
Aldi noted that sales of its seasonal Christmas products rose by 10% year-on-year, with its premium Specially Selected range climbing 12% after people treated themselves following a difficult financial year and swapped dining in restaurants for home cuisine.
The retailer also saw strong sales of fresh British products over the festive season, with a record 350,000 fresh turkeys sold, more than 400 tonnes of beef, and almost 3 million Brussels sprouts.
The figures come alongside the news Aldi has been named the UK’s cheapest supermarket for 2024 by consumer watchdog Which? for the fourth year running.
Whilst the traditional supermarkets have been ramping up the pressure on Aldi through price match schemes and loyalty card discounts, the discounter’s UK Chief Executive, Giles Hurley, pledged today to maintain its price advantage.
He said: “As we look ahead to the new year, which for many will mean the prospect of living costs rising again, many families will be nervous about what 2025 holds.
“Against this background, our mission remains clear: we will not only remain the UK’s lowest-priced supermarket, but we will ensure the price gap between ourselves and the traditional full-price supermarkets is as big as ever.
“Because with so much uncertainty, what our customers want to know is that whatever they need, they will make significant savings, week in, week out, by shopping at Aldi.”
NAM Implications:
- Much depends on the extent to which ‘the UK’s cheapest supermarket’ is impacting Aldi UK profitability.
- And the extent to which global Aldi will tolerate UK performance.
- Fingers crossed…
