Lidl expects a “record-breaking Christmas” trading period, with footfall to stores jumping 11% in the past six weeks.
The discounter said cash-conscious shoppers have been stocking up for Christmas staples earlier this year, with “two mince pies selling every second since September”, while “gifts and decorations have been flying off the shelf” from Lidl’s middle aisle.
UK chief executive Ryan McDonnell predicted that Lidl’s busiest day over the Christmas shopping period will be Friday, December 22, with more than 2 million shoppers expected to come through the discounter’s doors.
“Christmas is an exciting time to work in retail and particularly at Lidl, where our colleagues and suppliers contribute enormously to ensuring that our customers can access the best-quality seasonal products,” said McDonnell.
“It goes without saying that the past year has been challenging for so many people but, despite this, we can see that shoppers have been in the Christmas spirit since as early as September when the first Christmas lines went on sale.
“Over the past six weeks alone, we’ve seen a massive surge in the number of customers coming through our doors and it’s clear that households are getting prepared well ahead of celebrations.
“We’re expecting this to continue so our teams are already donning their Christmas jumpers, ready to welcome a record number of customers over the busiest trading period of the year.”
The most recent Kantar grocery market share data shows that shoppers have switched more than £685m of spending to Lidl over the course of this year as shoppers look to better manage their budgets during the cost-of-living crisis.
Of this, Lidl said that £58m had switched from premium supermarkets such as Waitrose, Marks & Spencer and Ocado.
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