Which? crowns Aldi as cheapest supermarket in November

Aldi has been named the UK’s cheapest supermarket in November by Which?, as the consumer champion found shoppers could save almost £27 on a basket of items there compared to the most expensive store. 

Which?’s analysis involved comparing the prices of a shop consisting of 48 popular groceries at eight of the UK’s biggest supermarkets. 

The cheapest supermarket was Aldi, where the basket of goods was £77.21 on average. The same shop at Waitrose was £104.11 on average, making it £26.90 more expensive in comparison.

Which? also compared the cost of a larger trolley of 149 items – the original 48, plus 101 more. This shop included a larger number of branded items, such as Andrex toilet paper and Cathedral City cheese, and did not include discounter supermarkets Aldi and Lidl, which do not always stock some of these products.  

Asda cost the least for this larger trolley of groceries, continuing its winning streak, which started in January 2020, as the cheapest traditional supermarket. It cost £355.34, on average, for this shop, beating the next cheapest, Sainsbury's (£366.83), by £11.49.

Waitrose was an eye-watering £38.03 more expensive than Asda, coming in at £393.37, on average, for the trolley of comparable goods.

This latest pricing analysis from Which? demonstrates that shoppers can make considerable savings on their grocery budget depending on where they buy their food. 

Which? recently launched its Affordable Food For All campaign. The consumer champion is calling on supermarkets to provide the support people around the country desperately need in order to keep food on the table during the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Reena Sewraz, Which? Retail Editor, said:

“No one wants to overpay for basic groceries, especially in the build-up to the festive season when many household budgets will be stretched.

“Our findings show that while prices are going up, some supermarkets are significantly more expensive than others. As well as choosing a supermarket that is cheap overall, other ways to save include swapping from branded to supermarket own-brand products, sticking to a shopping list, and resisting the temptation to pick up special offers you don’t need.”

ENDS

Notes to editors: 

Full table of basket results: 

Full table of trolley results: 

• Every month, the consumer champion compares how much some of the UK's biggest supermarkets charge for a trolley of groceries, including everything from bread to toothpaste. Which? compares hundreds of grocery prices at Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose to reveal the cheapest supermarket. 

• For its ‘cheapest supermarket of the month’ analysis, Which? works out the average price for each item at each supermarket across the month, and adds the averages up to get an average trolley price for each store.
  
  

• Which? includes special offer prices but not multi-buys or loyalty discounts, to keep it as fair as possible. The shopping list combines branded items such as Kenco coffee, Oxo stock cubes and PG Tips tea bags with own-label products, including onions and milk. Of course, own-brand items aren’t exactly the same at different supermarkets, but Which? uses experts to ensure that the products are as comparable as possible based on a range of factors, including weight and quality.
  
  

• Which? recently launched its Affordable Food For All campaign calling on supermarkets to step up and help consumers keep food on the table. The consumer champion has defined how this can be achieved in a 10-point plan that sets out specific steps supermarkets can take in three main areas: clear and transparent pricing, access to affordable food ranges across all stores and more targeted promotions for consumers who are struggling.

Useful links: 

• Cheapest supermarket for your Christmas dinner shop

• How to spend less at the supermarket 

• Cheapest supermarket by month