// Lidl has claimed to be the fastest-growing bricks and mortar retailer in the UK following bumper Christmas sales
// The discount supermarket chain said sales rose 2.6% in the four weeks ending December 26
Lidl GB has unveiled a strong Christmas sales rise and laid claim to being “the fastest-growing bricks-and-mortar retailer”.
The retailer saw its sales edge up 2.6% year-on-year in the run-up to Christmas and by 21% on the same period two years ago.
The discounter said it benefited from record footfall levels in the week leading up to the big day, with shopper numbers up 14% year-on-year on its busiest day, which was December 23.
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After featuring in the retailer’s festive campaign, Lidl Christmas jumpers became the fastest selling product in the ‘Middle of Lidl’ aisle during the festive period, with approximately one jumper sold every two seconds on their first day on sale.
Customers also bought over eight million Christmas cards and a million rolls of wrapping paper.
Lidl said that Kantar data revealed it was the fastest-growing bricks-and-mortar grocer for the second year running, and that shoppers switched £21 million of spend from rivals to it.
Lidl GB chief executive Christian Härtnagel said: “Despite ongoing challenges with the pandemic, customers continued to find ways to celebrate this Christmas. Our high quality, low priced festive ranges proved a hit, helping us achieve a record Christmas with footfall and sales beating the previous two years.
“None of what we do would be possible without the hard work of our colleagues across the country and our suppliers. I cannot thank them enough for their efforts during this period as we continued to navigate the industry challenges to provide for our customers, ensuring all stores were well stocked.
”As inflation continues to rise, I want to reassure our customers that we remain resolute in our promise of being the destination for the lowest grocery prices in the market.”
In December alone, Lidl opened eight new stores across the country. In addition to this, a number of new sites are also set to launch in January, including in London and Liverpool.
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