Supermarket Aldi has revealed a £1.65 billion sales haul over the Christmas month as price remained the “biggest priority” for shoppers.

The group reported a 3% rise in total sales over the four weeks to Christmas Eve as it notched up a record 57 million transactions.

The German-owned discounter – Britain’s fourth biggest grocery chain – said sales jumped by more than 5% in the final trading week leading up to Christmas, with around £500 million rung up through its tills.

The performance for the month-long run-up marks a slight slowdown on the previous Christmas, when sales lifted 3.4%.

Last week, close rival Lidl reported a 10% rise in Christmas sales as it made more than £1.1 billion in turnover over the four weeks leading up to December 24, but the two discounters do not provide same-store comparable sales for the period.

Aldi said price was “the biggest priority for shoppers in 2025, with customers seeking ways to celebrate on a budget”.

Despite this, customers traded up to its premium own-brand range, Specially Selected, which saw sales rise by over 12%.

Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “This Christmas proved once again that a great quality Christmas can still be affordable.

“We’re grateful that more people than ever chose Aldi for their Christmas shop and trusted us to deliver both quality and value during what remains a challenging time for many.”

Aldi said Tuesday December 22 was its busiest trading day over the festive period.

There was strong demand for key festive British-sourced meat and vegetables, with customers buying 56 million potatoes, 37 million carrots and half a million turkeys.

The group also sold more than 5.5 million bottles of sparkling wine over the festive period.

The German discounters have kicked off the festive reporting season from the supermarket sector, with Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer to follow later this week.

In September, Aldi announced a further £1.6 billion of investment to accelerate its UK supermarket expansion, with 80 openings planned over the next two years.

The chain, which currently has around 1,060 stores, has previously said it is targeting 1,500 locations across the UK.