THE boss of Aldi has promised his customers a Christmas bonus — hours before a Budget that is tipped to give supermarkets the chills.
Chief exec Giles Hurley vowed to freeze prices on hundreds of items — including turkey, veg and all the trimmings — even if his chain takes a hit from Chancellor Rachel Reeves today.
He said: “Shoppers are anxious about how the Budget may affect finances.
“We want to take the guesswork out of affordability by locking in the lowest prices now — whatever cost pressures come our way — to make Christmas as affordable as possible.”
Grocery bills could rise after the Budget, supermarkets say.
Food inflation remains stubborn at 4.9 per cent and Treasury officials are said to have told retailers that stores with a rateable value over £500,000 face higher business rates.
But Mr Hurley says Aldi will still offer the UK’s lowest-priced traditional Christmas dinner and says the chain’s discounting ethos will not short-change suppliers either.
He added: “Being the cheapest for shoppers doesn’t affect the fair prices paid to our suppliers. The discount is our commitment, at our own cost.”
Aldi — Britain’s fourth-biggest supermarket — has spent £650million on new stores and refurbishments in 2025, with 11 sites opening this month and next.
Easy on taxes
EASYJET boss Kenton Jarvis has warned Rachel Reeves against raising air passenger duty in the Budget today.
Bosses fear the Chancellor will put up the tax on flights leaving the UK.
Mr Jarvis called for the duty to be frozen, warning a rise would “naturally dampen demand”.
The group has reported a nine per cent jump in headline pre-tax profits to £665million for the year to September 30.
M25 move for runway
MINISTERS have backed plans from Heathrow Airport’s owner to move the M25 to make way for a third runway.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander rejected a rival proposal from Arora Group, saying Heathrow’s was “the most credible and deliverable option”.
The £33billion Heathrow plan requires a new M25 tunnel to be built 130 metres west of the existing motorway.
It is expected to be fully privately financed and will help to increase Heathrow’s capacity to 756,000 flights and 150million passengers a year.
Boozer boom
PUB group Marston’s reported a six-fold jump in its pre-tax profits to £88.3million for the year to September 27, as bosses hailed strong gains from its recent investments.
These included 31 pubs being revamped in a major refurbishment programme.
Chief executive Justin Platt said the group was excited by the success of new formats — such as sports bars — which helped drive revenues up by about 23 per cent.
