Aldi reports bumper Christmas as 2017 sales top £10bn

Sales at German discount retailer Aldi grew 15% on the year in December, helping to push its total sales in the UK and Ireland in 2017 to more than £10bn for the first time.

The Christmas period was boosted by strong demand for the company's premium Specially Selected products, which saw sales rise more than 30% on the year during December.

UK and Ireland chief executive Matthew Barnes said: "This was our busiest-ever Christmas as millions of festive shoppers switched to Aldi from more expensive food retailers.

“Although we saw strong growth across all categories, the performance of our premium Specially Selected range in particular surpassed all expectations.

“This is a clear sign that shoppers knew they could indulge in Christmas treats and festive essentials at Aldi for a fraction of the price they would pay elsewhere.”

Aldi sold more than 4 million mince pies, 100m packs of vegetables and 6.8m bottles of wine, champagne and Prosecco in December, equivalent to more than 200,000 bottles a day.

Employees were set to reap some of the benefits of the bumper festive period, with all store assistants getting a minimum hourly rate of £8.85 nationally and £10.20 in London from next month. Aldi also pledged to match the Living Wage Foundation’s recommended rates for all of its staff from 1 February.

Barnes said: "Our store colleagues are the cornerstone of our business. Without their hard work and dedication day in, day out, we would be unable to provide customers with the lowest grocery prices in the UK."

He went on to sound an upbeat note about the company's prospects: "We see significant capacity for further growth as there are still more than 400 towns and cities across the UK without an Aldi store.

“Shoppers in these areas consistently tell us they would shop at Aldi if they could, and we are committed to meeting this demand for new Aldi stores.”