According to industry data from Kantar Woldpanel, discount food retailers have seen a larger increase of their share in the competitive Christmas food market compared to leading supermarkets such as Morrisons and Tesco.
In the three months leading to December 23, Aldi sales rose 30 per cent year on year, resulting in a record 3.2 per cent share of the grocery market, compared to 2.6 per cent last year.
Lidl sales also grew 10.8 per cent, increasing its market share by 0.2 percentage points to 2.8 per cent.
Meanwhile Iceland’s sales increased 9.7 per cent, resulting in its biggest market share for 12 years.
Conversely, Morrisons has reported its figures for the run up to Christmas, noting a 2.5 per cent fall due its lack of presence in the fastest growing segments of the market, convenience stores and online.
Whilst Tesco sales rose 2.9 per cent, its market share fell from 30.6 per cent to 30.5 per cent . Similarly, Asda’s share fell from 0.2 per cent to 17.3 per cent despite sales rising 2.2 per cent.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Edward Garner, director at Kantar, said: “Historically, the discounter sector has seen its share dip at Christmas as shoppers treat themselves and trade up, but the all-time record share of 3.2pc for Aldi is a sign of the times and shows that this is no longer the case.
“Aldi and Lidl both benefited from carrying items such as goose, venison and fine wines in their pre-Christmas catalogues this year. It seems that offering premium products at budget prices has paid off for the discount retailers.”