M&S has beaten tough competition to be named the UK's "most popular supermarket" among shoppers for Christmas food.
Research from New Casinos found that the search term "M&S Christmas Food" racked up an impressive 25,000 average monthly searches among shoppers, more than double the amount for the runner-up.
It comes just as the high street retail chain - which is famed for its iconic range of luxurious Christmas food - recently launched a new menu for Christmas 2022, including lobster mac and cheese and a hot cheese grazing platter.
The Google search data revealed that Waitrose was the second most searched for UK supermarket, as it managed to rack up 10,000 Google searches with shoppers.
Similar to M&S, the premium UK supermarket chain is famed for its impressive festive menu, which this year includes a range of standout canapes, mains, sides and desserts.
The research also found that M&S has been the most searched for supermarket on six occasions in the last five years, with the exception of 2018, when Waitrose managed to take the crown.
Coming in third place was Sainsbury's with 7,300 average monthly searches, which is a 50% decrease in the amount of searches it received from last year.
Tesco came in at fourth place with 7,100 monthly searches, with New Casinos suggesting that this has been a steady position for the supermarket chain since 2017.
This was then followed by Aldi (4,400), Morrisons (4,100), Iceland (2,100) and Asda (1,900).
Lidl ranked as the least searched for supermarket for this year's Christmas food shop with just 1,300 monthly searches. According to New Casinos, the budget supermarket chain has seen a decline in searches for Christmas products since 2019.
The research also analysed Google Trends to discover when the nation starts planning its Christmas feast, with the interest in ‘Christmas food shop’ typically starting to rise in September.
A spokesperson from New Casinos said: "Christmas can be an extremely exciting time, with many companies making a huge profit from this season. It is interesting to see which supermarkets are winning the race to be the most popular choice for Christmas food and that some are taking over other prominent shops.
"With the rising cost-of-living challenges, Christmas is undoubtedly an expensive time of year. Many supermarkets are attempting to ease the burden with a range of price points and Christmas dinner deals. Asda have stated “Whatever your budget, there is a Christmas for everyone” whilst Waitrose has announced a 'festive £40 for four' including all of the trimmings and desserts."
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