Aldi sales hit £1bn in December as the supermarket records best ever Christmas trading

Discount supermarket chain Aldi has recorded its best ever UK Christmas trading period after hitting sales of almost £1bn in December.

The week commencing 17 December was the busiest day in the history of the retailer in the UK, with sales 10 per cent higher than the previous year.

Sales were boosted by demand for the German-headquartered supermarket’s “Specially Selected” and “Exquisite” lines.

The company, which opened its 800th UK store in the fourth quarter of last year, sold more than 17m bottles of wine, Champagne and prosecco in December, almost 50m mince pies and 100m sprouts in December. 

Aldi UK chief executive Giles Hurley 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 opened more than 65 new stores last year and is on target to grow to 1,200 UK stores by the end of 2025.

The supermarket’s share of the grocery market stands at a high of 7.6 per cent.