Aldi attracts more shoppers than ASDA and Sainsbury’s for first time as customers save on food bills

ALDI has attracted more shoppers than ASDA and Sainsbury’s for the first time as people try to save on grocery bills.

The discount supermarket had 19.58million in the year to December, say industry stats by Kantar, seen by Sun Business.

It means Aldi had more shoppers than Asda’s 19.54million, and the 19.46million at Sainsbury’s. Tesco stayed top, on 23.6million.

Aldi also had two million more shoppers than rival Lidl and just under three million more than Morrisons, which it overtook in market share two years ago.

It remains the fourth biggest supermarket by sales and market share as typically its customers spend less than at Asda and Sainsbury’s.

But Aldi boss Giles Hurley said: “These numbers show we are winning customers from our rivals because of our unbreakable pledge on price — we won’t be beaten on value.”

The rapid growth of Aldi since the pandemic has forced rivals to launch price-match promotions to halt an exodus of shoppers.

But Mr Hurley said: “Some imitate but they can’t replicate.”

Rampant food inflation has also boosted stores’ own brands.

And Mr Hurley said: “We’re driving that because 90 per cent of our produce is own label.”

Savvy Marketing expert Catherine Shuttleworth said now Aldi’s challenge is to convert the stats into shoppers spending more.

Asda said: “Asda is the third largest supermarket in the UK according to the data and we offer great quality for hard-working families.”

Sainsbury’s said: “More customers are coming to us, recognising our value, quality and service.”

Job is to eat all the pies

Chief mince pie buyer Laura Rafferty, above, is already sampling Aldi’s festive fare for next year.

It will sell 12million of its Specially Selected upmarket mince pies this Christmas. And the grocer is expecting bumper sales of other premium ranges.

It now sells Wagyu beef and £11 bottles of rosé, while its £7.99 bottles of Irish Cream are £8 cheaper than Bailey’s at full price.

And a meal of Christmas essentials for six people has been reduced to £10.84 as Aldi battles with Tesco for the crown of cheapest festive dinner.

Tycoon delivers his post buyout

Royal Mail will fall into foreign hands for the first time in 500 years after the Government cleared a £3.6billion takeover by a Czech billionaire.

Daniel Kretinsky, already the biggest investor in the postal service, was given the green light after agreeing to more commitments about the future of the mail group.

The Government will keep a “golden share”, allowing it to veto future ownership changes.

Mr Kretinsky has pledged to keep the same brand name, as well as to have UK headquarters and tax residency for five years.

He will also pay staff 10 per cent of future dividends, and give posties a greater say in monthly meetings.

Agreements will also let the Government block dividends unless Royal Mail hits financial targets and improves its delivery performance.

Mr Kretinsky also pledged to avoid company redundancies until 2025, and to protect the universal service obligations, which requires mail to be delivered six days a week.

But Royal Mail is already lobbying Ofcom to be allowed to drop second class post to every other weekday, which could prompt a larger restructuring.

Mr Kretinsky, who also owns stakes in West Ham FC and Sainsbury’s, said his firm EP Group has “high regard for Royal Mail as an institution, and Royal Mail employees.”

Postal Services Minister Justin Madders said: “We agreed these commitments with the intention of securing the best outcome for customers.”

Red tape delays new stores and jobs

Britain is a nation of savvy shoppers — and we’re all getting savvier, writes Aldi CEO Giles Hurley.

The cost-of-living crisis has meant demand for affordable groceries is higher than ever and many have switched to a discount supermarket.

But some across the country don’t have that choice because of planning red tape.

And I don’t think that’s right.

In 21st century Britain access to affordable, high-quality food should be a right, not a privilege, and every town deserves an Aldi.

We have more than 1,020 UK stores and a goal of reaching 1,500, but unnecessary delays are holding us back.

Planning decisions that should take 12 weeks can take two to three years. We have people writing in to ask for an Aldi near them.

These lengthy waits delay the creation of new jobs and much-needed investment in towns and cities.

On average, every new store will create at least 30 jobs and we want to open 40 next year.

That’s potentially 1,200 jobs with the best hourly pay in the supermarket sector and paid breaks being held back.

Next year we’ll invest around £650million in Britain, opening stores in places like Billericay in Essex, Fulham Broadway in London and Arbroath in Angus.

We could be opening more if the planning system hadn’t become too slow and unwieldy to support growth like ours.

Blast at bosses

The largest shareholder in UK giant Johnson Matthey has demanded a board overhaul, accusing bosses of being “complacent and incapable.”

US conglomerate Standard Industries called for “decisive action” after a prolonged share price slump.

London-listed Johnson Matthey, a two-century-old industrials and chemicals firm which makes most of its money by making catalytic converters for cars, said it “welcomes constructive input from shareholders”.

Its shares yesterday rose 3.3 per cent, valuing it at £2.35billion.

Shares in Ladbrokes owner Entain fell by 6.3 per cent yesterday after Australia’s financial watchdog launched a money laundering probe.

It said Entain had failed to stop a “serious risk of criminal exploitation” or check customers properly.

Key float sinks

Hopes of a feel-good boost from the London listing of the production firm behind the Paddington films were dashed yesterday as its shares fell by a fifth on its first trading day.

Canal+ has been spun into a £2.4billion London Stock Exchange listing after a break-up of French conglomerate Vivendi.

But its shares slumped from 290p to 226.5p.

Last week, the Chancellor called its float a vote of confidence in the UK.

But City sources said the Canal+ debut would be bumpy as French pension funds cash out.