Aldi sets sights on upmarket retailers with luxury hampers

Discount supermarket Aldi has set its sights on upmarket retailers like Fortnum & Mason and John Lewis with the launch of a new luxury range of Christmas hampers.

The Specially Selected hamper range will be available for UK consumers to pre-order from 14 November and brings together a range of ‘specially selected’ products sourced from specialist producers and British artisan suppliers by Aldi’s team of buyers.

All priced to undercut higher-end offerings, the most expensive is the Exquisite hamper, which includes luxury wine, pudding, truffles, champagne, biscuits and luxury chocolate. At £98.37, it is more than £150 cheaper than Fortnum & Mason’s equivalent Fortnum’s hamper, Aldi said.

The cheapest in the Specially Selected range is Aldi’s Chocolate Lover’s hamper, which, for just under £20, contains chocolate cream liqueur, chocolates, truffles and hot chocolate.

It will be the first festive period that Aldi has offered hampers as part of its Christmas range, and the move underlines the discounter’s ongoing commitment to increasing the quality and perception of its product offering.

Tony Baines, joint managing director of corporate buying for Aldi, said: “With Christmas being a magical time of indulging loved ones with the finest foods, wines and gifts, amazing quality needn’t cost a fortune.

“We believe that everyone should be able to afford the very best, which is why we simply refuse to be beaten on price, especially at Christmas when the average household shopping bill can exceed £794.39, with gifts making up a spend of £473.46 per family.”