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Aldi reports bumper Christmas boosted by booze

During December, sales were up 15% on the same period the previous year, with more than 6.8 million bottles of wine, Champagne and Prosecco sold that month – the equivalent of more than 200,000 bottles per day, according to the German discounter.

Overall, sales were boosted by a surge in demand for Aldi’s premium Specially Selected products range, with sales increasing by over 30% year-on-year during December, said the retailer.

Irish Cream Liqueur were one of the top selling Specially Selected products alongside mince pies, sweetcured gammon joints topped with a gingerbread crumb and Aberdeen Angus beef roasting joints.

The bumper Christmas was a “clear sign” that shoppers knew they could indulge in festive treats and festive essentials at Aldi for a fraction of the price they would pay elsewhere, said CEO, Matthew Barnes.

“This was our busiest-ever Christmas as millions of festive shoppers switched to Aldi from more expensive food retailers,” he said.

Although Aldi saw strong growth across all categories, the performance of its premium Specially Selected range in particular “surpassed all expectations”, he said.

Following the bumper festive period, Aldi also announced it will pay all Store Assistants a minimum hourly rate of £8.85 nationally and £10.20 in London from 1st February 2018.

Aldi added 76 new stores to its store estate during the last 12 months, bringing store numbers to 762 as part of its long-term strategy to have a network of 1,000 stores across the UK by 2022.

Martin Lane, managing editor of www.money.co.uk, said it came as no surprise Aldi was enjoying record sales with “everyone loving a bargain and that’s what they do best”.

“As a nation of shoppers, we’re looking after the pound in our pocket more and more, and with their Specially Selected premium items Aldi is offering the same package as the other big four retailers but without the expensive price tag.”