ALDI rang up sales of almost £1 billion in the UK during December as the discount supermarket experienced its best ever Christmas trading period.

The company said yesterday that sales were driven by customers switching from other food retailers amid higher demand for its premium ranges.

Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK, said: “Although we saw strong growth across all key categories, the standout performance was in our Specially Selected brand where shoppers treated themselves to premium products for a fraction of the price they would have paid elsewhere for similar quality products.”

The influx of customers meant that the week of December 17 was Aldi’s busiest-ever in the UK, with sales more than ten per cent higher than the previous year.

More than 17 million bottles of wine, champagne and prosecco were sold, along with 50 million mince pies and 100 million sprouts.

The latest update comes as Aldi’s UK market share stands at an all-time high of 7.6 per cent.