LIDL UK DELIVERS RECORD CHRISTMAS SALES

• Fastest growing supermarket for the Christmas period*
• Year on year sales increase of 16% in the Christmas trading period
• Week commencing 18 December 2017 was Lidl UK’s strongest ever trading week
• Lidl UK’s 700th store set to open in Q4 FY 2017

London, 10 January 2018: Lidl UK was the fastest growing supermarket* over the Christmas period, achieving record sales for the month of December, as more customers than ever walked through the doors of its stores up and down the country.

Sales across the estate were up 16% on the same period in 2016, while the supermarket experienced its highest ever footfall. The busiest day of the season, which was also a record trading day in Lidl UK’s history, came on 22 December, while the week commencing 18 December 2017 was Lidl UK’s strongest ever trading week.

At Christmas, customers shopped at Lidl UK safe in the knowledge that they were getting market-leading value, after the retailer won Good Housekeeping’s award for the ‘Cheapest Christmas Basket 2017’ which was priced at £25.53.

Lidl UK’s Birchwood Farm whole fresh turkey, available for £3.89 per kilogram, was the most competitively priced among all UK supermarkets and this contributed to a 10% increase in turkey sales. Overall, fresh meat and poultry sales grew by 17% for the period.

Roughly 600 tonnes of brussels sprouts, 17 million mince pies, and over 800,000 litres of Champagne and Prosecco were sold. Sales of Champagne and Prosecco were up 25% and 60% respectively.

Lidl’s Deluxe 24-month matured Christmas pudding, the world’s first, was one of the best-selling products in the range, contributing to a 60% increase in its luxury Christmas pudding sales.

Premium alcohol products also went down well with customers, with the introduction of brand new Deluxe liqueurs for the festive season, including crème de cassis, triple sec and cherry brandy. The bestselling products in this range were Lidl UK’s Hortus pink gin liqueurs, with 644 bottles being sold every hour throughout the Christmas period, contributing to a 39% increase in total gin sales.

Lidl UK’s store expansion also continued at pace in December, with the openings continuing throughout the holiday season. Nine new stores opened during this period and Lidl UK ends the year with 693 stores, up from 650 at the end of 2016. The 700th store is set to open early this year. To support its ambitious expansion, the supermarket also announced a new RDC for Greater London this week, which will be based near Luton and could potentially create up to 1,000 new jobs.

Christian Härtnagel, Lidl UK CEO, said: “Lidl UK has had a fantastic 2017 and this was capped by our strongest Christmas trading period to date. Customers came into our stores to buy more of their Christmas items, knowing they could find high quality products at market-leading prices. The commitment of our 20,500 colleagues across the country was key to our success during this busy period and I’m extremely grateful for their contribution. We look forward to bringing the Lidl offering to more communities across the UK, as we continue our rapid expansion plan this year.”

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