Lidl expects to smash the £4bn barrier in 2014, with its sales on course to rise 20%.
The discounter revealed the figures as it launched a £20m ad campaign aimed at promoting the quality of its food. The new ads, to be shown on national TV, will show Brits buying goods from a farmers market in the East End, only to discover that the fresh produce is actually from Lidl.
“We’ve always believed that there doesn’t need to be a compromise between offering excellent quality and excellent value, and, as our sales figures show, the British public increasingly shares that belief,” said Lidl’s UK MD Ronny Gottschlich.
“We’ve always believed that there doesn’t need to be a compromise between offering excellent quality and excellent value”
Ronny Gottschlich
“We know that many of our first-time visitors are attracted by a particular offer or product, or just by sheer curiosity, but they choose to keep coming back when they realise that we sell the best quality, freshest food at the best price.”
Lidl also revealed new figures relating to its ongoing attempts to work with British suppliers. It said it now sources 65% of its produce from the UK, and that British goods will account for £1.75bn of its turnover in 2014.
It said it exports £250m of British produce, including Scottish whisky and English cheese, to stores on the continent.
The discounter also said it was looking to hire a further 5,000 employees over the next five years, on top of the 2,500 new jobs it announced in June, as it looks to grow UK store numbers to its long-term target of 1,500 locations.
The news comes as Kantar Worldpanel revealed Lidl had maintained its record 3.6% market share over the 12 weeks to 17 August, up from 3.1% in 2013. It also said sales were up 18.3% year on year and that 53% of UK shoppers had shopped at either Lidl or rival discounter Aldi over the past 12 weeks.
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