Discounter Aldi has recorded its best-ever Christmas and said customers marked the festive season by trading up to premium own-label products.
Aldi said sales topped £1.6bn in the four weeks to Christmas Eve, as shoppers traded up over the period, using premium own-label products to “treat themselves following a difficult financial year for many”.
The discounter reported a 3.4% increase in total sales, while sales of its seasonal Christmas products rose by 10% year-on-year and the premium Specially Selected range jumped 12% compared to 2023.
Aldi also reported “strong sales” of fresh British products over Christmas, selling a record 350,000 turkeys, more than 400 tonnes of British beef and almost 3 million sprouts.
Customers also started stocking up for the festive period earlier than ever, with some spreading the cost by snapping up Christmas cakes and puddings as early as September.
Over 50 million mince pies and 25 million pigs-in-blankets were purchased over the festive period.
The busiest day of Christmas for Aldi was December 23 as it served nearly 3 million customers and it overtook Asda to become “the country’s second-largest supermarket by shopper numbers”.
Heading into 2025, with the economic situation for many people still uncertain, Aldi UK chief executive Giles Hurley promised to maintain the price gap between the discounter and other supermarkets.
He said: “We dropped hundreds of prices last year as part of our ongoing mission to make outstanding quality, affordable food accessible to everyone.
“Our offering of outstanding quality British products at unbeatable prices was a winning combination yet again this Christmas as customers wanted to celebrate in style after an uncertain year, but with more challenges ahead, they wanted to do it without breaking the bank.
“We couldn’t have done any of this without the unwavering dedication of all our amazing colleagues and I want to thank each and every member of Team Aldi for serving our customers so well this Christmas.
“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.”
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