Inside Asda’s busiest weekend of the year: the supermarket will sell THREE MILLION bottles of spirits, 1.2 million mince pies and 300,000 turkeys until December 25

Asda expects to sell 6.4 million units of Christmas vegetables, 1.1 million packets of pigs in blankets, 2.9 million bottles of spirits and more than 300,000 fresh turkeys in the final weekend before December 25.

Speaking exclusively to FEMAIL, the supermarket giant revealed the millions of festive items they predict will fly off the shelves as people make last-minute trips to the store between December 20 and 24.

This includes 1.2 million packets of mince pies, 223,000 Yule logs and a whopping one million bottles of fizz.

In addition, Asda expects to sell around 131,000 Christmas puddings, 93,000 Christmas cakes and 42,500 panettone, to sweet lovers across the country.

But that’s not all, as 226,524 packages of smoked salmon and 1.1 million packages of pigs in blankets are expected to disappear from shelves in the coming days.

And let’s not forget the main event: Asda hopes to sell 314,008 fresh turkeys before Christmas Day next Wednesday.

Of these, 244,717 are expected to be turkey wreaths, while Asda believes it will move 69,291 fresh whole turkeys in the days before Christmas.

And perhaps in a sign of a joyous week ahead, 2.9 million bottles of spirits should hit supermarket trolleys over the weekend.

Asda had noted a curious rise in sales of Panettones this year, as Brits move towards ‘slightly lighter sweet treats’ for their Christmas puddings.

Of the 22 per cent rise in sales, Asda’s Rich Harding said: “AAlthough panettones have long been a Christmas staple, we’ve seen people move away from using dried fruit in traditional puddings at Christmas in favor of slightly lighter sweet treats, so flavored panettones are a great way to enjoy of deep-rooted traditions and festive flavors.

‘The trend of using panettone as part of a recipe has also been adopted, particularly in retro dishes such as bread and butter pudding, sponge cake, ice cream or even simply eaten with a piece of cheese at the end of a meal.’

Harding also offered some great advice for customers looking for the perfect Panettone.

‘An important tip when buying a high-quality panettone is its weight: it should be a little heavier,” he said.

Asda also saw a rise in searches for Camembert cheese before Christmas, with people searching for the delicacy increasing by 86% between December 1 and 17.

The supermarket laments that this is a “trend flavour” for 2024, with much interest in its Camembert-centric offerings, such as a pork pie with Camembert melted in the middle and roasted Camembert and garlic flavored crisps.

Mr. Harding said: “IInspired by the ever-popular Instagrammable “cheese pull,” we thought it would be perfect for Christmas; Possibly the most popular time of year for cheese.

There was also an increase in searches for cakes on asda.com.

“Customers are looking for pure comfort and nostalgia when it comes to festive food and pies fit this perfectly,” Mr Harding explained.

‘We also know that customers are looking for a touch of luxury with spectacular images. The festive period is a time when households not only buy food for the big day, but also meals and dishes leading up to it and for moments in between such as “betwixmas”.

‘This inspired us to launch new cakes and pastries in our Christmas range, using ingredients such as bone marrow left on the bone and protruding from the top of a cake base, whole wheels of melted French camembert and extra deep fillings with chunky ingredients. ‘

What’s more, as expected, searches for party food are increasing.

People were particularly interested in Asian offerings such as bao buns and red Thai ‘Santa hats’, which were up 97% and 86% respectively.

There was also an increase in searches for grazing or charcuterie boards.

“We’ve seen a growing trend in premium grazing boards, so we know customers are looking for DIY options to ‘build their own’ board and make it eye-catching and personalized,” Mr Harding said.

‘There is a desire to prolong the festive season, whether before Christmas or even into the “betwixmas” period. Therefore, we know that customers are looking for products that are also ready to serve family and friends.”