Lidl achieved record Christmas sales as shoppers bought pigs in blankets and panettone

Lidl enjoyed higher revenues in the run-up to Christmas after attracting an extra 2 million customers.

The discount supermarket chain revealed its sales grew 7 per cent year-on-year in the four weeks ending December 24 to more than £1bn, a record for the festive season.

The group said its UK consumers bought a British turkey every second, 8 million stuffing balls and more than 16 million pigs in blankets, some of them in new flavors such as maple, cheese and cranberry.

Meanwhile, sales of its expanded Partytime range soared by around a third, thanks in part to increased demand for its panettone and pandoro cakes.

And purchases of Lidl’s cream liqueur range increased by 60 per cent as the company launched new flavours, including tiramisu, caramel biscuit and white chocolate.

Lidl GB said an additional 2 million customers visited its stores during the period, with the largest number arriving on December 23 and 75 per cent more of them using its weekly discounts.

“We are delighted to welcome more customers than ever before,” said Ryan McDonnell, CEO of Lidl GB.

‘That is a strong reflection of the trust our customers place in us and the dedication of our colleagues and suppliers who work so hard to deliver an exceptional Christmas to the communities we serve.

He added: “Looking ahead, we are excited to build on our momentum, grow our presence across the country and continue to offer the highest quality at the best prices on the market.”

Lidl is Britain’s sixth largest supermarket, with 7.7 per cent of all sales in the 12 weeks ending December 1, according to research group Kantar.

Like German rival Aldi, Lidl has become one of the UK’s most popular supermarkets in recent years, as hard-pressed British consumers have increasingly hunted for bargains.

In its latest financial year covering the 12 months ending February 28, Lidl GB’s turnover rose 16.9 per cent to almost £11bn.

Shoppers made 35 million more trips to the retailer, the biggest annual growth of any UK supermarket, and shifted £500 million of spend from other grocers into the business.

This helped the company recover from a £76m loss the previous year to a pre-tax profit of £43.6m and expand its earnings before interest and tax almost eight-fold from £28.5m to £220m. .8 million.