The British branch of the German discount supermarket group Aldi said that sales in December increased by 26 percent compared to the previous year, due to the opening of new stores and consumers ‘ search for savings in a crisis of the cost of living. Aldi UK and Ireland said sales in December exceeded € 1.5 billion for the first time.
London stock prices opened higher on Wednesday, despite ongoing strikes putting pressure on the outlook for the UK economy and the British Retail Consortium warning of a difficult year for consumers.
Fresh food prices in UK supermarkets were up 15% in early December from a year earlier, the biggest annual increase since at least 2005, when measurements began, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Overall food price inflation rose from 12.4% to a record high of 13.3%. Inflation rose to 15% for fresh food and 11.0% for shelf-life products.
