LIDL GB WELCOMES 1.3M MORE CUSTOMERS THIS CHRISTMAS, WITH HOUSEHOLDS CHOOSING QUALITY WITHOUT COMPROMISE

• Over 1.3 million more customers shopped at Lidl GB during the run up to Christmas[i], as the discounter's sales increased 24.5% year-on-year (YoY)[ii]
• Shoppers switched nearly £63m spend from other supermarkets[iii] - almost triple that of last year 
• Customers enjoyed almost 7 million glasses of prosecco, fuelled by the Negroni Spagliato trend which went viral online[iv]

9 January 2022: Lidl’s industry leading prices and multi award winning product ranges, helped the retailer attract more than 1.3m more customers in the run up to Christmas, with households switching to the discounter from more expensive traditional supermarkets.

In a bid to get the best Christmas products without big prices, shoppers switched £62.8m spend to Lidl GB – almost triple that of Christmas ‘21. This contributed to a rise of +24.5% in overall sales YoY and saw the retailer celebrate its busiest ever day of trading in 28 years on Friday 23rd December. 

Families filling their fridges and food cupboards with produce from Lidl GB were also able to benefit from some of the lowest prices on the market, with a Christmas dinner costing just £2.75 per head. As people turned to the discounter for seasonal staples, its ‘Pick of the Week’ Christmas veg returned at 19p each, with sales jumping by over a third (37%) YoY[v].

Festive treats also topped shopping lists with Lidl’s Deluxe 24 Month Matured Christmas Pudding sales increasing by 185% YoY[vi]. Fuelled by the Negroni Sbagliato trend which went viral online, the retailer helped households enjoy almost 7 million glasses of prosecco. Traditional Christmas classics remained popular with 1.7m glasses of Lidl mulled wine served, and sales of its premium Deluxe own-label cheese range increased by nearly 30%[vii].

Ryan McDonnell, CEO at Lidl GB, said: “Every week of the year we are seeing more customers coming through our doors, switching spend to Lidl from the traditional supermarkets. We know they switch to us to make savings, but then they stay with us when they realise that they’re not having to compromise on quality, and this Christmas was no exception.

“Our strategy - great quality products at low prices - has remained the same since we first opened our doors over 28 years ago. But that is only because it’s as relevant now as it ever has been. It is working because we are seeing big switching gains with over £63m of spend moving to us in the four weeks to the 25th of December. We only see this momentum continuing in 2023.”

As people looked to get into the festive spirit, many turned to the discounter to decorate their homes, with sales of Christmas lights and decorations up 85% and 71% respectively[viii]. It was also the season for giving, with over 1.8 million rolls of wrapping paper sold[ix], equating to over 6,000 miles – the distance from London to the North Pole and back again.

Lidl shoppers also showed their generosity through the supermarket’s initiatives supporting the wider community, with over 60,000 new and unopened toys and games being donated to families in need over Christmas through its Lidl Bear Toy Bank. Following its pledge to make its largest community food donation ever, the equivalent of 1 million meals were donated through surplus food donations. On Christmas Eve alone, the retailer donated approximately 150,000 meals to those in need. 

McDonnell continued: “As we head into another new year, we’re laser focused on strengthening our infrastructure across the country. As we continue with the expansion of our distribution centres in Belvedere and Bridgend, we’re set to open our biggest ever warehouse in Luton later this year. This doubles down on our efforts of giving more communities access to our unrivalled quality-value combination, something that’s particularly important as families continue to tighten their belts in the current climate.”

- ENDS -

Notes to Editors

About Lidl GB

Since establishing itself in Great Britain in 1994, Lidl GB has experienced continuous growth and today has over 28,000 employees, over 950 stores and 13 distribution centres in England, Scotland and Wales.

As part of the Schwarz retail group, Lidl is one of Europe’s leading organisations in the food retail industry. The supermarket, which has more than 360,000 employees globally, currently operates approximately 12,000 stores and more than 200 warehouses and distribution centres in 31 countries.

The supermarket takes pride in providing its customers with the highest quality products at the lowest possible prices throughout Great Britain, from Kirkwall to the Isle of Wight. Social responsibility and sustainability are at the core of the company's daily operations, with the company placing a strong emphasis on its responsibility for people, society, and the environment. Lidl GB is passionate about working with British producers and sources two thirds of its products from British suppliers.

The Schwarz Group, which operates worldwide as a retail group, generated a turnover of €133.6 billion in the financial year 2021.

For more information about Lidl GB visit https://corporate.lidl.co.uk/

About the data

The data referenced comprises of Lidl GB’s internal figures and Kantar data. Specific date ranges are outlined below.  

[i] Lidl data, 7 days ended December 24th 2022

[ii]Kantar Till Roll data, 4 weeks ended 25th December 2022

[iii]Net Switching Gains, Kantar FMCG data, 4 weeks ended 25th December 2022

[iv]Lidl data, 4 weeks ended 25th December 2022

[v] Lidl data, 15th December to 26th December 2022

[vi] Lidl data, 4 weeks ended 25th December 2022

[vii] Lidl data, 4 weeks ended 25th December 2022

[viii] Lidl data, 4 weeks ended 25th December 2022

[ix] Lidl data, 4 weeks ended 25th December 2022