MORRISONS will launch its Christmas sales push tomorrow with new TV commercials, some featuring entertainers Ant and Dec.

The Bradford-based supermarket is taking on both traditional rivals and budget chains Aldi and Lidl in the battle to woo shoppers in the crucial pre-Christmas trading period.

Its first full-length commercial will be aired during Coronation Street and the campaign will also feature shorter 40 second versions.

Morrisons will highlight its focus on fresh foods as well as the skills of its in-store butchers, bakers, fishmongers and greengrocers in differentiating it from the competition.

Set to the Yuletide song It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, the commercials focus on fresh food, families, entertainment and Christmas traditions.

Viewers will see bakers preparing fruited panettone, along with produce such as British turkey,s, fresh Brussels sprouts delivered to stores within 48 hours of being picked, children decorating a gingerbread house kit and the jumpers worn by Ant and Dec.

Nick Collard, group marketing and customer director said: “As our customers start to think about Christmas, they want to know it’s going to be magical and special for their families and we want to help make it special for them.

“We are really proud of our in-store experts that help to make Morrisons distinct and we know that our customers appreciate the great value we offer them on fresh food and famous brands, especially as Christmas approaches.”

Morrisons is pitching its wares in a cut-throat trading environment in which the budget chains have produced glitzy TV commercials.

Bosses will hope that the campaign will help to halt its falling market share as the likes of Aldi, which this week announced a major UK expansion plan, and Lidl continue to win shoppers from the mainstream supermarkets.

Morrisons like-for-like sales fell again by 6.3 per cent in the 13 weeks to November 2, although the figure was better than the 7.4 per cent fall reported for the previous six months.

Chief executive Dalton Philips admitted its recovery would take time.

He was encouraged by the progress of initiatives designed to recapture market share, including investing £1 billion in price cuts over three years and launching a new loyalty card which promises to match prices at Aldi and Lidl.