- Lidl GB said its UK consumers bought one British turkey every second
Lidl enjoyed higher revenues in the run-up to Christmas after attracting an additional 2million customers.
The discount grocery chain revealed its sales grew by 7 per cent year-on-year in the four weeks ending 24 December to over £1billion, a record for the festive season.
The group said its UK consumers bought one British turkey every second, 8 million stuffing balls, and over 16 million pigs in blankets, some in new flavours such as maple, cheese, and cranberry.
Meanwhile, sales of its expanded Partytime range soared by around a third, thanks partly to stronger demand for its panettone and pandoro cakes.
And purchases of Lidl’s cream liqueur range rose by 60 per cent as the firm launched new flavours, including tiramisu, caramel biscuit and white chocolate.
Lidl GB said 2 million extra customers came through its stores during the period, with the largest number coming on 23 December and 75 per cent more of them utilising its weekly discounts.
Bumper trade: Discount grocery chain Lidl revealed its sales grew by 7% year-on-year in the four weeks ending 24 December to over £1billion, a record for the festive season
‘We were thrilled to welcome more customers than ever before,’ remarked Ryan McDonnell, chief executive at Lidl GB.
‘That’s a strong reflection of the trust our customers place in us and the dedication of our colleagues and suppliers, who work so hard to deliver an outstanding Christmas for the communities we serve.
He added: ‘Looking ahead, we’re excited to build on our momentum, growing our presence across the country and continuing to deliver the highest quality at the best prices on the market.’
Lidl is the sixth-biggest supermarket in Great Britain, with 7.7 per cent of all sales in the 12 weeks ending 1 December, according to research group Kantar.
Like its German rival Aldi, Lidl has become one of the UK’s most popular grocers in recent years as hard-pressed British consumers have increasingly sought out bargains.
In its last financial year covering the 12 months ending 28 February, Lidl GB’s turnover rose by 16.9 per cent to nearly £11billion.
Shoppers took 35 million more trips to the retailer, the highest annual growth of any UK supermarket, and switched half a billion pounds of spending to the business from other grocers.
This helped the firm recover from a £76million loss the previous year to a £43.6million pre-tax profit and expand its earnings before interest and tax nearly eightfold from £28.5million to £220.8million.
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