Aldi has posted a 22.2% sales increase over Christmas compared with the same period in 2007.
However, the firm has not revealed like-for-like (lfl) figures, and the positive results come on the
back of an aggressive and ongoing expansion.

The firm's growth has seen 41 outlets across the UK and Ireland last year, taking the total to 457.

Sales at Aldi UK for the whole of 2008 were up 24.8 percent at £2.15bn the firm did not break the sale down into food and non-food.

Aldi has been seen by many consumers as an alternative to the big four supermarkets and tesco recent profits of only 2.2% appear to show a switch.