Aldi has predicted a record-breaking Christmas this year, with more UK households expected to shop with the discounter amid the cost-of-living crisis.
The retailer estimates that more than half of British households will eat at least one Aldi product this Christmas.
Managing director of buying in the UK Julie Ashfield revealed that customers are shopping earlier and “treating themselves a little more in the run up to the big day”.
Ashfield said: “Whether it’s the indulgence of our Extremely Chocolatey biscuits, the festive taste of Ballycastle Mince Pies or Luxury Crackers with our premium Cheese Truckle Tower, shoppers this year are tucking into some early treats.”
She also revealed that an increasing number of families opting for non-turkey centrepieces, with current sales trends showing British beef and gammon joints like its Specially Selected Wagyu Picanha performing well, alongside meat alternatives like its No Gammon Joint.
Aldi expects to sell 43 million pigs in blankets and more than 1,400 tonnes of sprouts in the weeks leading up to Christmas and New Year, along with more than a million packs of smoked salmon and two million jars of cranberry sauce.
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The strong Christmas will follow yet another year of expansion for Aldi, which opened its 1,000th store in the UK this September. It intends to launch a further 500 shops across the country.
Last month, the supermarket invested a further £12m in cutting the prices of more than 180 products, as its Christmas Price Lock initiative froze the prices of a range of festive essentials.
“As many of us try to celebrate on a little less this year, the price gap between Aldi and the traditional, full-price supermarkets is as big as ever,” added Ashfield.
“Our unbreakable promise to customers is simple: whether it’s for a weekly shop or for all you need for an amazing Christmas, Aldi will always offer the lowest prices.”
Aldi reclaimed its crown as the UK’s cheapest supermarket for November, overtaking Lidl.
A basket of shopping from the discounter was found to be over £20 cheaper than its equivalent at Waitrose in the Which? monthly cheapest supermarket price comparison.
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