Lidl delivers record festive sales with £1bn Christmas turnover

Lidl exceeded £1bn in turnover for the four weeks to 24 December, as sales rose 7% year-on-year. 

The supermarket welcomed almost 2 million more customers over the festive period, with 23 December its busiest trading day of the year.

Lidl credits its festive food range for fuelling sales. The supermarket sold one fresh turkey every second, along with a total of 16 million pigs in blankets. Champagne also saw a 25% spike in sales.

Almost 8 million Lidl stuffing balls, 6,500 tonnes of Lidl’s ‘Pick of the Week’ vegetables and 2 million litres of gravy were sold, with the discounter claiming to provide a full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings for £1.78 per head.

The retailer extended its “affordable” ‘Partytime’ range, with new lines including Partytime Mini Duck Bao Buns and Partytime Arancini Bites, resulting in a 32% sales uplift. Mini Pandoro sales were also up 135% year-on-year, with new cream liqueur flavours increasing sales of the range by 60%.

Lidl GB CEO Ryan McDonnell claims the customer growth is a “strong reflection” of consumer trust, as well as the “dedication” of the retailer’s colleagues and suppliers.

“Looking ahead, we’re excited to build on our momentum, growing our presence across the country and continuing to deliver the highest quality at the best prices on the market,” he adds.

Lidl emphasises power of sharing in 2024 Christmas ad

This Christmas the retailer went for an emotional ad emphasising the power of sharing, deciding not to bring back its brand character from the previous year. The advert scored a maximum 5.9 System1 rating for its brand-building potential.

The advert coincided with the reopening of Lidl’s Toy Bank scheme, with more than 100,000 toys donated over Christmas 2024.

Alongside successful sales of the festive range, the retailer saw its Lidl Plus loyalty base grow by over a quarter year-on-year, with 75% more customers taking advantage of its weekly discounts.

Over 1 million customers engaged daily with Lidl’s ‘Advent Calendar’ campaign featuring promotions and offers, the retailer reports. 

According to Kantar Worldpanel data, Lidl claimed a 7.7% share of the grocery market in the 12 weeks ending 1 December 2024, equivalent to sixth position in the rankings with rival Aldi in fourth place at 10.3%. 

Looking slightly further back, in the 12 weeks to 3 November Lidl was the fastest growing retailer with a bricks and mortar presence for the 15th period in a row.

Kicking off the year

Elsewhere, supermarket rivals are focusing on price in a bid to attract and retain customers following the festive period.

Asda is cutting prices on more than 2,500 household essentials as part of its ‘Big Jan Price Drop’, which is set to offer a 26% discount in-store and online. Chief customer officer David Hills told the Mirror the price cuts are aimed at easing the burden on families post-Christmas.

Products on offer include Cathedral City Mature Cheddar 300g, dropping from £3.75 to £2.50 and Persil Wonder Wash, falling in price from £7 to £3. Asda is also maintaining its ‘winter warmer’ £1 meal deal in its cafés throughout January and February to support the over 60s.

Morrisons has added 500 everyday essentials to its Aldi and Lidl price match, including eggs, coffee and pasta sauce. The price match was first launched in February last year.

Meanwhile, Co-op has announced plans to accelerate its convenience store growth by opening 75 new stores across the UK in 2025. Up to 80 existing stores will also be refurbished, with the retailer planning to add a suite of extra services including parcel collection and returns, and payment services as it looks to “go beyond offering traditional groceries”.

A focus on its membership scheme will be brought to the fore in 2025, which is on track to hit 8 million members by 2030.

Co-op is also looking to “grow its share of the quick commerce market to over 30%” through its own platform and via partners including Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats.