Aldi is the cheapest supermarket in March but Lidl is closing the gap, Which? finds
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Aldi has been named the UK’s cheapest supermarket in March by
Which?, as the consumer champion found shoppers could save £20 on a
basket of items from there compared to the most expensive
store. The consumer champion’s analysis, which involves
comparing the prices of a shop that this month consisted of 41
popular groceries at eight of the UK’s biggest supermarkets, is
done on a monthly basis. The cheapest supermarket this month was
Aldi, where the basket of...Request free
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Aldi has been named the UK’s cheapest supermarket in March by Which?, as the consumer champion found shoppers could save £20 on a basket of items from there compared to the most expensive store. The consumer champion’s analysis, which involves comparing the prices of a shop that this month consisted of 41 popular groceries at eight of the UK’s biggest supermarkets, is done on a monthly basis. The cheapest supermarket this month was Aldi, where the basket of goods cost £72.54 on average across the month. Lidl is hot on the heels of Aldi however with a difference of only 25p (£72.79). The same shop at Waitrose was £92.55 on average, a difference of £20.01 - that is 27.6 per cent more. Which? also compared the cost of a larger trolley of 137 items – the original 41, plus 96 more. This comparison 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 because they do not sell the full range of branded items included in the larger price analysis. For another month, Asda was the cheapest for this larger trolley of groceries, and has continued to be the cheapest of the traditional supermarket chains since January 2020. In March, it cost £343.91 for this shop, widening the gap between Asda and the next cheapest, Sainsbury’s (£353.16), which was £9.25 more. Waitrose was an eye-watering £41.83 more expensive than Asda, coming in at £385.74, on average, for the trolley of comparable goods. This latest pricing analysis from Which? demonstrates that shoppers can make considerable savings on their groceries depending on where they buy their food. However, with even budget ranges and prices at the discounters rising significantly, the consumer champion believes supermarkets must do more to help their customers. Which? has found that while some good practice exists, many of the major supermarkets have not done enough to support their customers during the cost of living crisis. Retailers should be helping customers by making sure affordable basic ranges are available in all branches including smaller convenience stores, as well as improving unit pricing on all products, so that customers can easily work out the best value for them. While some of the supermarkets have engaged with the consumer champion as part of its Affordable Food For All campaign, none have committed to any of the changes laid out by Which? as being vital for consumers during this difficult time. Which? is now calling on the major supermarkets to act by providing the support people around the country desperately need in order to keep food on the table during the ongoing cost of living crisis. Ele Clark, Which? Retail Editor, said:
“We know people are suffering through the worst cost of living crisis in decades and the price of food and drink has skyrocketed no matter where you shop. However, our monthly supermarket analysis shows you could save £20 on a basket of everyday groceries at the cheapest supermarket compared to the priciest one.
“Supermarkets aren’t currently doing enough to help customers. Which? believes the big retailers have a responsibility to ensure everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food ranges at a store near them, and to provide transparent pricing so people can easily work out which products offer the best value.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Full table of basket results (based on 41 items):
Full table of trolley results (based on 137 items):
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