Aldi UK confirmed its position as one of the few winners from Britain’s economic downturn, with sales up by a quarter over the past year as wealthier Britons flocked to the discount retailer’s stores.

The German chain, which has struggled to make inroads into the UK market since landing on British shores in the early 1990s, said the brand had built momentum over 2008 as shoppers, mindful of tightening household budgets, decided to try out shopping at the hard discounter’s stores.