The boss of Aldi has said customers in the U.K. are switching to the discounter "in droves" as the cost-of-living crisis continues to hit struggling households.

Aldi has gained more than 1.5 million customers in 12 weeks, U.K. chief executive Giles Hurley told the BBC.
The discounter has recently overtaken Morrisons to become the fourth biggest supermarket in the U.K. Rival discounter Lidl has also been gaining ground as shoppers seek to lower their bills.

There has been an "unprecedented" change in consumer behavior as inflation has soared, Hurley said. "We're seeing customers switch in their droves," he said. "Customers are prioritizing value like never before and switching their shopping to Aldi."

Hurley said shoppers from "all of the traditional full-price supermarkets" were coming to Aldi.

According to the retail research firm Kantar, sales at Aldi were up 19% for the 12 weeks to September compared with the same time last year. If it keeps growing at this rate, it will add up to an extra billion or so pounds in sales this year.

"We haven't seen growth rates like this since the last recession," said Hurley.