Aldi has reported a strong quarter, as the discount supermarket’s sales grew faster than its UK competitors.
Sales in the retailer jumped 12.5 percent, higher than Lidl’s 9.1 percent sales growth, which put the group in second place.
According to Nielsen data, sales in Co-op and Iceland also grew by 7.1 percent and 6.1 percent respectively.
The big four supermarkets also saw a growth in sales but at a lower level. Asda and Morrisons saw sales grow by 3.9 percent and 2.8 percent respectively, whilst Tesco (LON: TSCO) saw sales increase by 2.5 percent.
“While there is still pressure on the consumer wallet, we continued to see shoppers spend freely on indulgences, celebrations and events up until the end of August. The hot summer has been a windfall for most food retailers,” said Nielsen’s UK head of retailer insight, Mike Watkins.
“However, with summer turning to autumn in the last couple of weeks, sales growths have mellowed. Even so, shoppers are maintaining their grocery spend and opting instead to make savings on overall household expenditure, including clothing and homewares.”
“The exceptional summer has given the industry some much-needed momentum and with a recent small uptick in inflation, the improved growth we’ve seen in the first half of the year are likely to continue for the second half, even if the last few weeks have seen a pause for breath,” he added.
Supermarket sales grew at their fastest rate this year, boosted by the World cup and warmer weather over summer.
Market research firm Kantar Worldpanel said that food and drink sales in the 12 weeks to 15 July increased by 3.6 percent compared to the same period a year earlier.
“Football-frenzied customers visited supermarkets an extra 13 million times as they hurried to stock up on World Cup-viewing essentials, with alcohol in particular the stand-out winner,” said Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Worldpanel.
