Lidl’s Christmas sales in Britain have topped £1bn for the time since it launched in 1994, after the German discounter ramped up its assault on the big supermarkets.
Revenue in the four weeks leading up to Christmas Eve surpassed the milestone after 2m more customers visited its 970 stores across the country.
The German discounter said it sold 16m pigs in blankets, 8m stuffing balls and 2m litres of gravy in the run-up to Christmas, as well as 750,000 roasting joints. A turkey was sold every second.
It is the first time Lidl has sold more than £1bn of stock in the run up to the festive period since it launched its first UK store three decades ago.
Sales increased by almost 7pc year-on-year, although growth was slower than the 12pc increase it recorded last Christmas.
Higher sales followed the opening of new Lidl stores. The group opened eight new sites during November and December and a further eight are planned between now and March. An additional 40 stores are planned to open up until March 2026.
Clive Black, retail analyst at Shore Capital, said the figures showed Lidl was in “sound” shape.
“Lidl had a good year, 7pc sales growth is decent but not stellar”, he said, adding that 3pc of the growth likely came from new store openings and around 2pc from food inflation.
“What Lidl shows is that Santa did turn up for the grocers. I expect M&S and Ocado to have the strongest sales over the period, Tesco and Sainsbury’s have probably had a similar like-to-like to Lidl, stripping out new stores.”
Although small in comparison to the volumes shifted by Sainsbury’s and Tesco, the sales growth is a sign of shoppers’ increasing frugality in the face of pressures on household budgets.
Lidl and countrymate Aldi have radically altered the British supermarket landscape in recent years after making significant inroads with customers during the cost of living crisis.
Growing market share means Lidl is close to overtaking Morrisons to become the UK’s fifth-largest supermarket. Aldi is also on course to become Britain’s third-biggest supermarket, overtaking Asda.
Lidl, which is owned by German supermarket conglomerate Schwarz Group, now employs 32,000 people at its 970 stores in the UK.
Ryan McDonnell, Lidl’s UK chief, said: “This year, we were thrilled to welcome more customers than ever before. 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.
“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.”
