Lidl hits record sales rise over Christmas

The German chain says it was the 'fastest growing supermarket' over the festive period

Shoppers snapped up Lidl's range of budget Christmas food

Lidl has claimed it was the "fastest growing supermarket" over Christmas after booking record festive sales.

The German chain said sales rose 16 per cent in December as it experienced its highest ever footfall.

December 22 marked a record trading day in Lidl UK's history, the group said, while the week before Christmas was its "strongest ever".

However, it did not give a breakdown of like-for-like sales, again ignoring an industry benchmark used by its peers.

Among the supermarket's bestselling products was its Birchwood Farm whole fresh turkey, which contributed to a 10 per cent increase in sales of the bird.

Total fresh meat and poultry sales grew by 17 per cent over the period.

Roughly 600 tonnes of Brussels sprouts, 17 million mince pies and over 800,000 litres of Champagne and Prosecco were also snapped up by shoppers.

Boss Christian Hartnagel 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.

"We look forward to bringing the Lidl offering to more communities across the UK, as we continue our rapid expansion plan this year."

Lidl has been on a rapid expansion drive recently, which is helping drive its sales.

Nine new stores opened in December, taking its total to 693.

Earlier this week, Lidl said it will open five new London stores and build its largest UK warehouse to date in a move that the supermarket says underlines the "scale" of its expansion plans in Britain's capital.

The German discounter's expansion is expected to solidify its standing as one of the UK's fastest-growing supermarkets alongside fellow German Aldi, increasing the pressure on Britain's Big Four, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons.

PA