It might only be December 1, but Lidl is already forecasting a record-breaking Christmas.

Over the last six weeks, customer numbers have been up 11%, as reported by Retail Gazette.

The value supermarket said shoppers started preparing for Christmas as early as September, with two mince pies selling every second since.

It has also seen strong demand for its gift and celebrations ranges, with its mini snowglobe sold every two seconds on the first day of sale.

Lidl is predicting its busiest day of the festive period will be December 22, with over 2m shoppers in-store.

Last week, the retailer launched a Christmas jumper rental service to raise funds for the NSPCC.