Discounter Lidl took a swipe at its rivals today as it bragged about luring affluent shoppers from the likes of Waitrose and Marks & Spencer.
The German grocer, which has been opening shops aggressively in Britain over the past few years alongside Aldi, said shoppers “switched over £58 million of spend” in the festive period from the Big Four and the more upmarket grocers.
Lidl saw sales increase 8% in the six weeks to December 30, but the figures include sales from new stores, potentially making the numbers appear better than they are.
Christian Härtnagel, the boss of Lidl UK, said its Deluxe products, such as luxury mince pies and hand-cooked crisps, “proved a major draw for new and existing customers”.
He said sales for its upmarket range rose 33% year-on-year, while alcohol sales were up 18%.
But Rob Collins, the boss of Waitrose, has said that the chain hadn’t seen any evidence that shoppers were “downtrading” or buying fewer of its premium products. “We introduced 500 new lines at the premium end and every one of those lines performed strongly,” he added.
Marks & Spencer chief executive Steve Rowe also said the food business saw good volumes over Christmas and added shoppers still went there “for something special and a treat”.
Listed rivals including Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Tesco and Marks & Spencer, which all updated the market this week, had to report in more detail how they did over Christmas. Discounter Aldi was criticised by industry analysts this week after it said it had a “record” Christmas based on just one week of trading.
Tesco, Britain’s biggest supermarket emerged as one of the Christmas winners, reporting its best growth in nearly a decade, while other major grocers, including M&S and Sainsbury’s, suffered as hard-pressed Britons sought out more bargain deals over the festive period, crucial for the nation’s grocers. Dave Lewis, Tesco boss, also said yesterday shoppers were switching to his supermarket.
