Aldi UK sales rose 22.2 percent in December

LONDON (Reuters) - Privately-owned German discount retailer Aldi saw a 22.2 percent rise in sales in December compared with the same month last year, it said on Tuesday.

Sales at Aldi UK for the whole of 2008 were up 24.8 percent at 2.15 billion pounds, a spokeswoman said.

The group did not give a figure for sales growth excluding the impact of new stores.

Aldi UK increased store numbers from 416 to 457 last year.

Aldi and privately-owned German peer Lidl have been growing sales strongly in the UK as shoppers try to save money in the economic downturn.

However, they still account for a small proportion of total UK grocery spending.

Market researchers TNS WorldPanel said Aldi had a UK market share of 3.1 percent in the 12 weeks to November 30, with Lidl on 2.4 percent.

Earlier on Tuesday Tesco (TSCO.L), Britain's biggest retailer, reported a 2.5 percent rise in underlying sales for the 7 weeks ended January 10.

(Reporting by Mark Potter; editing by Simon Jessop)