Aldi and Lidl hail ‘best-ever’ Christmas sales as turnover exceeds £1bn
Amrit VirdiA focus on value, coupled with demand for premium ranges, helped both Aldi and Lidl exceed £1bn in turnover over the 2025 festive period.
Marketing’s class problem and the fundamentals: Your Marketing Week
Russell ParsonsAt the end of every week, we look at the key stories, offering our view on what they mean for you and the industry. From exposing marketing’s short-sightedness when it comes to working-class audiences to underlining the importance of getting the basics right, it’s been a busy week. Here is my take.
‘Only limited by our imagination’: Inside a decade of Kevin the Carrot
Amrit VirdiAs Kevin the Carrot captures the nation’s hearts for a tenth year, the team believe there’s still lots left in the tank for Aldi’s festive favourite.
John Lewis Christmas ad an early favourite among consumers, data suggests
Grace GollaschM&S and Coca-Cola rank highest for branded recognition, according to data from Ipsos.
Aldi marks 10 years of Kevin the Carrot with Love Actually inspired ad
Emily ManockKevin the Carrot has consistently performed well for Aldi since his debut, contributing to what the discounter called its “best ever Christmas” in 2024.
Lidl and Ocado fastest growing grocers as Tesco dominates market share
Amrit VirdiData also shows shoppers favouring brands over own-label items, with branded sales “particularly dominant” in personal care, confectionery and soft drinks.
Aldi overtakes Asda as UK’s third biggest food and drinks retailer
Niamh CarrollAldi sold more food and drink than Asda from 23 February to 23 March, as the discounter continues to shake up the dominance of the ‘Big Four’.
Ruling that Aldi infringed trademark could have ‘dramatic’ effect on copycat products
Niamh CarrollA court ruling that Aldi infringed Thatchers’ trademark could “open the floodgates” for similar cases, meaning retailers producing brand lookalikes may have to remove the products or face legal action.
Awareness, consistency and ‘sparkle’ help retailers triumph amid ‘competitive’ Christmas
Amrit VirdiAs retailers begin to reflect on the festive period, have strong ad effectiveness scores translated into high sales?
Reality Check: How Aldi owns the entry points that matter to win
Andrew TenzerIn the first of a monthly insight column, Reality Check, insight specialists Andrew Tenzer and Ian Murray of Everyday People argue that Aldi has found success by avoiding the ‘flim flam’ of unnecessary entry points.
Aldi enjoys record Christmas as premium own-label sales soar
Amrit VirdiAldi pledges to maintain “price gap” setting it apart from “traditional full-price supermarkets” after generating £1.6bn Christmas turnover.
Consistency pays off as Aldi and Coca-Cola top Christmas effectiveness rankings
Amrit VirdiSystem1’s analysis of 2024’s Christmas ads has found creative with strong brand-building potential is also more likely to drive sales. Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot tops the ranking for both short and long-term effects.
Aldi overtakes Sainsbury’s as people’s favourite Christmas ad, data suggests
Amrit VirdiAldi, Sainsbury’s and M&S Food are all strong contenders in the Christmas ad race, with M&S clothing and home coming in as viable competition.
Aldi brings back Kevin the Carrot for ninth festive outing
Amrit VirdiKevin the Carrot, who is returning in a Mission Impossible-style ad, has been starring in Aldi’s ads since 2016 and has previously scored impressively in the fiercely contested Christmas effectiveness rankings.
Aldi pledges ‘record’ investment to cut prices as sales soar
Amrit VirdiThe retailer made £100m of price cuts on more than 300 products over the past three months, as it preps an £800m nationwide expansion.