Aldi experienced its best ever Christmas trading period thanks to rising demand for its own brand premium ranges, the German discounter has announced.

The retailer enjoyed sales of nearly £1bn in the UK during December, with the week leading up to Christmas the busiest ever for its UK business, delivering 10% sales growth year-on-year.

Aldi attributed its sales performance to a surge in demand for its premium ranges – Specially Selected and Exquisite.

Throughout the month, Aldi sold 17 million bottles of wine, champagne and prosecco, while sales of mince pies and sprouts reached 50 million and 100 million respectively.

Aldi UK ceo, Giles Hurley, said: “Our Christmas range was the largest and most innovative yet and caught the imagination of our customers, who visited our stores in record numbers.

“Although we saw strong growth across all key categories, the standout performance was in our Specially Selected brand where shoppers treated themselves to premium products for a fraction of the price they would have paid elsewhere for similar quality products.

“We begin the new year with great momentum as the UK’s fastest-growing supermarket and on the back of record Christmas sales. This has been achieved by bringing amazing-quality groceries at the lowest prices to our customers and this remains our key focus for the year ahead.”

The discounter opened over 65 new stores during 2018, increasing its total store estate to 827, and aims to have 1,200 UK stores by the end of 2025.