Aldi reports record Christmas sales after shoppers moved to cut festive grocery bills | Aldi
Aldi has reported record Christmas sales as cost-conscious shoppers look to reduce their festive shopping spend.
The UK arm of the German discounter said sales rose 3% year-on-year in four weeks to £1.65bn on December 24, before rising 5% to £500m in the final week.
The retailer did not provide comparable sales figures for outlets open at least one year, an industry standard reporting measure. Aldi opened 40 stores last year and now has 1,081 stores; In the long term, the target is 1,500 sales points in the United Kingdom.
Aldi, the UK’s fourth largest supermarket after Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda, said December 22 was its busiest trading day. More than 57 million transactions were recorded for four weeks, an all-time high.
Demand for the Specially Selected premium own label range has increased by more than 12%. Popular items in the range included Ultimate Wagyu Deep-Fried Potatoes, Double-Wrapped Pigs in Blankets, and White Chocolate Ganache Pinecones.
Aldi said it sold more than 5.5 million bottles of soda over the festive period and shoppers bought 56 million potatoes, 37 million carrots and half a million turkeys.
Giles Hurley, managing director of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “This Christmas has proven once again that a great quality Christmas can still be affordable.”
He added that Christmas “remains a challenging time for many” as people are still struggling with living costs despite the general decline in food price inflation. “As we move into 2026, our focus remains unchanged – keeping prices low and quality high,” he added.
Hurley had expressed concerns that the timing of the budget at the end of November could negatively impact consumer spending in the run-up to Christmas.
Rival German discount chain Lidl also reported a “record-breaking” Christmas, with sales rising 10% to £1.1bn in the four weeks to Christmas Eve. Approximately 51 million people shopped at Lidl, up 8% year on year. Lidl also does not offer similar figures. The chain opened approximately 40 new stores in 2025, bringing its total number to over 1,000.
December 23 was Lidl’s busiest day, but with 30 million mince pies sold since September, customers are said to be starting their Christmas shopping earlier than ever. Sales of easy-peel clementines rose nearly 40% in the final week before December 24, with almost 100 tonnes of the pistachio-based product sold over the festive season. He also credited loyalty scheme Lidl Plus.
