Shoppers in the United Kingdom spent heavily on groceries in November, and retailers such as Aldi UK are offering discounts to ensure those high sales continue through the end-of-year holiday season.
Grocery sales in the U.K. rose 3.4 percent year over year in November, according to new data from Worldpanel by Numerator, and around 31 percent of that spending was on promoted items, up slightly from 30 percent during November 2024.
As a result, such value-focused grocers as Aldi UK saw its sales grow 4 percent in November compared to the same month last year, according to Worldpanel, while sales at competitive chain Lidl jumped 10.2 percent.
“Retailers are pulling out all the stops to win shoppers over as they gear up for one of the most important trading periods of the year. One in five households tell us that they’ve been struggling financially, and that’s been largely consistent over the past two years,” Worldpanel Head of Retail and Consumer Insight Fraser McKevitt said.
The sales spike occurred as grocery price inflation remained steady at 4.7 percent during the month, Worldpanel said.
With 30 percent of Brits planning to shop earlier than usual to spread out the cost of holiday meals, according to a OnePoll survey, and 23 percent streamlining the variety of products in their shopping baskets, several retailers are touting Christmas dinner specials early this year.
Aldi, for instance, said it is offering low prices on Christmas dinner specials.
“Many families have been cautious about spending. We want to take the guesswork out of affordability by locking in the lowest prices now – whatever cost pressures come our way – on Christmas dinner veggies, turkey, and the trimmings to make Christmas as affordable as possible,” Aldi UK and Ireland CEO Giles Hurley said.
While many Brits are seeking out value this holiday season, they also want to indulge. In fact, 52 percent of shoppers are planning to buy premium items as the year comes to a close, Aldi said, referring to OnePoll data.
“Retailers are savvy to the fact that at Christmas especially – even when times are tough – consumers still find the space in their wallet to spend on small treats. In fact, we’ve seen that right through the cost-of-living crisis as people have found new, more affordable ways to indulge in what we call the ‘pick-me-up pound’,” McKevitt said.
