German discount retailer Aldi saw a 22.2% rise in December sales in the UK as the economic downturn sent well-heeled consumers looking for bargains.
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The privately-owned retailer told the Financial Times this week that total UK sales climbed 24.8% to GBP2.15bn (US$3.14bn) last year, as it increased its store numbers from 416 to 457.
The group did not give a figure for sales growth excluding the impact of new stores.
Paul Foley, managing director of Aldi UK, told the Financial Times half of his customer base now came from the wealthier ABC1 social category, up from a fifth seven years ago.
Strong performance for discounters has become a feature of the current trading climate, according to the latest TNS Worldpanel figures, with Aldi posting a record share of 3.2%.
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By GlobalDataThe results for the 12 weeks ending 28 December are in strong comparison to the UK’s largest retailer Tesco, which continues to see its share come under pressure with a drop to 30.7% from 31.3% a year ago, recording the smallest rise in Christmas sales since 1993.
However, both Asda and Morrisons continue their strong runs with growths of 7.2% and 9.7% respectively, outperforming the market and lifting their shares to 16.9% for Asda and a record 11.9% for Morrisons.
