The UK’s fastest-growing supermarket welcomed an influx of festive shoppers from more expensive food retailers throughout December. The week commencing 17 December was Aldi’s busiest-ever in the UK, with sales over 10% higher than the previous year.
Aldi’s strong sales performance was driven by a surge in demand for its premium Specially Selected and Exquisite lines.
Giles Hurley, CEO of Aldi UK, (pictured) said, “Our Christmas range was the largest and most innovative yet and caught the imagination of our customers, who visited our stores in record numbers.
“Although we saw strong growth across all key categories, the standout performance was in our Specially Selected brand where shoppers treated themselves to premium products for a fraction of the price they would have paid elsewhere for similar quality products.
“A key factor behind our record performance was the collective commitment, energy and enthusiasm of all our colleagues, and I want to thank them for all their hard work at this exceptionally busy time.”
Aldi sold more than 17m bottles of wine, Champagne and Prosecco during December - equivalent to 3.2m glasses per day. It also sold nearly 50m mince pies and almost 100m sprouts.
The supermarket, which opened its 800th UK store during the fourth quarter of 2018, also donated all unsold fresh food to charities on Christmas Eve amounting to almost 800,000 meals.
More than 500 charities across the UK were matched with a local Aldi store and received a food donation, including fruit and vegetables, fresh meat and fish, and bread.
Looking to the year ahead, Hurley added, “We begin the New Year with great momentum as the UK’s fastest-growing supermarket and on the back of record Christmas sales. “This has been achieved by bringing amazing-quality groceries at the lowest prices to our customers and this remains our key focus for the year ahead.”
Aldi opened over 65 new stores during 2018, increasing its total store estate to 827 at the end of the year. It remains on course to achieve its long-term target of 1,200 UK stores by the end of 2025. The supermarket’s share of the UK grocery market currently stands at an all-time high of 7.6%. Stores closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.