Aldi is gearing up to sell almost 50 million mince pies in what it anticipates will be its “biggest Christmas ever” as shoppers navigate the cost-of-living crisis.

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Aldi became the fastest-growing UK supermarket last month as consumers feel the effects of the cost-of-living crisis

The discounter, which attracted an extra 1.5 million new customers and was named the fastest-growing supermarket in the 12 weeks to October by Kantar’s most recent market share data, also predicts it will shift more than 38 million pigs in blankets.

Squeezed households were thinking about Christmas “even earlier” this year and “having to plan their spend over the festive period much more carefully”, the discounter said.

The news follows a recent Which? Supermarket price comparison for October, which found that Aldi was the cheapest.

Its basket of 58 everyday groceries cost £75.79, on average, beating rival discounter Lidl by £1.89, while the same shop at Waitrose was £101.79, on average, making it £25.38 more expensive than Aldi, the data showed.

Aldi UK and Ireland chief executive Giles Hurley said: “The price gap between Aldi and the traditional, full-price supermarkets is only getting wider, and millions of shoppers are switching to Aldi as a result.

“Our unbreakable promise to our customers is that we will always offer the lowest prices of any supermarket, whether it’s a normal weekly shop or all they need for a fantastic Christmas.”

Last month, Aldi become the first major UK supermarket chain to commit to paying all store staff across the country at least £11 per hour. 

The discounter said that starting pay for all store assistants will hit the new rate from January 1, 2023. Those working within the M25 will be paid an hourly rate of £12.45 from the turn of the year. 

Both rates outstrip the markers set by the Living Wage Foundation and take Aldi’s investment in pay to £81m across the past 12 months alone.

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