Lidl had its best ever day of trading in the UK on 23rd December
(Picture: Lidl)Cash-strapped shoppers tripled the amount of money they spent in Lidl rather than other supermarkets over Christmas, boosting the discounter’s festive sales by almost 25%, according to the latest figures.
Lidl said it had attracted more than 1.3 million customers in the run-up to Christmas, as households switched £62.8 million of their spending from more expensive grocery shops - almost three times as much as at Christmas in 2021.
As a result, Lidl had its busiest day of trading in its 28-year history in the UK on Friday 23rd December.
The switching data, which is compiled by retail research company Kantar, suggests shoppers were keen to move away from more expensive grocery options as the cost of living, including food prices and energy bills, continues to climb.
Ryan McDonnell, CEO at Lidl GB, said: “Every week of the year we are seeing more customers coming through our doors, switching spend to Lidl from the traditional supermarkets.
“We know they switch to us to make savings, but then they stay with us when they realise that they’re not having to compromise on quality, and this Christmas was no exception.”
As well as buying festive treats such as Christmas puddings and cheese, with sales of Lidl’s premium own-label Deluxe versions up 185% and 30% respectively on last year, consumers also filled their baskets with cheap vegetables.
Sales of ‘pick of the week’ Christmas vegetables, which were sold for 19p each during some weeks in December, were more than a third higher than in 2021.
Spending on Christmas lights and decorations rose 85% and 71% respectively, as households enjoyed the first restriction-free Christmas since 2019.
McDonnell said Lidl’s focus in the coming year would be strengthening its UK infrastructure. The company is opening new distribution centres in Belvedere, Kent, and Bridgend, and will open its biggest warehouse in Luton later this year.
“This doubles down on our efforts of giving more communities access to our unrivalled quality-value combination, something that’s particularly important as families continue to tighten their belts in the current climate,” he said.
The Lidl figures come ahead of trading updates from Sainsbury’s on Wednesday, and Marks & Spencer and Tesco on Thursday, which are expected to show a rise in sales of own-brand products in particular as consumers trade down in order to save money.
The latest figures from Kantar found that British households spent more than £12 billion on groceries over Christmas, the highest amount on record.
But this was because of soaring food and drink prices, rather than because people were buying more, it said.
In fact, the volume of sales was down by 1 per cent over December, compared with the same period last year, indicating that shoppers are facing a much more expensive grocery shop.
