Why we're a Lidl bit in love with budget stores

Gone are the days when discerning shoppers would turn their nose up at a trip to the German budget chains.

The two supermarkets have both just enjoyed their most successful years in the UK ever, with millions of shoppers flocking inside while their bigger rivals are suffering. Lidl celebrated its busiest Christmas since its UK launch in 1994, and saw its 600 stores sell out of fresh British turkeys on Christmas Eve, while its Comte de Brismand champagne was its top selling product in value terms.

A spokesman said: "2013 has been our most successful year in the history of Lidl UK and we would hope to see this continue throughout 2014."

And Aldi enjoyed its busiest Christmas since opening in the UK in 1990.

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The company, which has more than 500 UK shops, doubled the size of its Christmas range.

It said fresh lobster tails, fresh free-range Roly Poly turkey and luxury mince pies were all hits.

But this week, their bigger rivals have posted less than impressive figures.

Morrisons was among the big Christmas losers, revealing its profits will be at the bottom end of current forecasts following a 5.6 per cent decline in like-for-like sales.

Tesco revealed a 2.4 per cent decline in UK like-for-like sales for the festive period, but rival Sainsbury's scraped a 0.2 per cent increase after its busiest ever trading week in the run-up to Christmas.

Waitrose was the big winner, with a 4.1 per cent rise in sales driving a record Christmas helped by a strong performance from an own brand range endorsed by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal.

Aldi was named best supermarket of the year by Which? in 2009, 2012 and 2013.

It also won the Grocer of the Year award last year at the Grocer Gold Awards.

We spoke to shoppers at Aldi in Hednesford to ask them why they keep going back for more.