Aldi toasts record UK and Ireland Christmas sales amid tightened consumer purse strings

Aldi, which recently announced plans to invest tens of millions of pounds in its Scottish operations this year, has hailed record Christmas sales as shoppers saw their budgets squeezed by the rising cost of living.

The German-headquartered discounter has seen sales in the UK and Ireland jump by 26 per cent in December to top £1.4 billion for the first time, and comes months after it overtook Morrisons to be crowned the UK's fourth-largest supermarket as consumers seek to lower their grocery bills.

The supermarket chain, which has more than 960 stores in Britain including 100-plus in Scotland, highlighted strong sales of fresh meat, with poultry and pork up 28 per cent for the month. It also recorded an almost 30 per cent rise in sales of chilled desserts, while sales of cheese increased by around half. Meanwhile, snacks such as crisps and nuts were up more than 40 per cent as the World Cup coincided with the run-up to Christmas for the first time.

Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: "This year, Christmas was all about family and football as people came together to celebrate in a way we've not enjoyed for years. As the UK's cheapest supermarket, we were able to help shoppers enjoy the Christmas they deserved and provide them with the highest-quality products at the most affordable prices."

The budget supermarket chain last week said it was shelling out £35 million to upgrade its Scottish portfolio in 2023, including £10m to launch stores in Cumbernauld and Coatbridge. That followed it last year investing £24m in launching two branches in Aberdeen and one in Broxburn.