A Lidl bit cheaper: Discounter snatches cheapest supermarket crown in July, Which? finds

Lidl has beaten Aldi to the crown of cheapest supermarket of the month for the first time in 20 months, according to the latest Which? price analysis.

The consumer champion's monthly analysis involves comparing the average price of a shop consisting of popular groceries at eight of the UK's biggest supermarkets. 

The cheapest supermarket for a shopping list of 76 items in July was Lidl, where the groceries cost £128.40 on average across the month. Members of its loyalty scheme Lidl Plus could save a further 40p.

Despite being the cheapest supermarket for the last 20 months according to Which?'s analysis, Aldi was 85p more expensive than its fellow discounter this month (£129.25 on average).

This month, for a longer list of 192 items, Asda continues to be cheaper than Tesco (with a Clubcard) and retained its place as one of the UK's cheapest supermarkets. Aldi and Lidl are not included in this comparison as they have a smaller range of products compared to the other supermarkets.

The longer list at Asda cost £474.12, cheaper than Tesco with a Clubcard by £7.47 (£481.59). 

Waitrose was the most expensive on average, with the bigger shop costing £538.33 - a difference of £64.21 compared to Asda - 14 per cent more.

Waitrose was also the most expensive supermarket for a smaller list of items this month, totalling £170.91 on average. That's a difference of £42.51 compared to Lidl (with a loyalty card) - 34 per cent more.

The list of 76 items included both branded and own-brand items, such as Birds Eye Peas, Hovis bread, milk and butter.

The analysis includes special offer prices and loyalty prices where applicable, but not multibuys.

For the smaller shop, Tesco Clubcard members would have paid £141.92 on average which is £13.92 more than at Lidl with a loyalty card, while without a Clubcard, the Tesco shop cost £145.10. 

For those using a Sainsbury's Nectar card, July's shopping list of items averaged £144.21, which is £16.21 more than at Lidl with a loyalty card. Without a Nectar card, the same items at Sainsbury's cost £149.55.

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

Reena Sewraz, Which? Retail Editor, said:

“Lidl has bagged the top spot as the UK's cheapest supermarket for the first time in 20 months, according to our latest price analysis, showing that it can beat Aldi even without loyalty prices.

“The bigger trolley of groceries shows that Asda continues to be the cheapest non-discounter supermarket - beating membership prices at Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons.

“Households are still contending with high food prices but our analysis shows it pays to shop around, simply choosing one supermarket over another could save you 25 per cent.”

ENDS

Notes to editors: 

Research

Each month Which? compares how much supermarkets charge for a selection of groceries, this month it compared 76 items that were available across all eight supermarkets. The data is based on availability across supermarkets each month, taken from its longer list of just over 200 items. Which?'s 'bigger shop' excludes Aldi and Lidl and this month compared 192 items that were available across the remaining 6 supermarkets. This list is made up of some of the UK's most popular groceries, based on industry data on sales value and availability. Which? includes special offers and loyalty discounts where they apply but not multibuys. 

Because the main list of around 200 groceries remains unchanged from month to month (other than being refreshed occasionally to reflect consumer shopping habits as it was this January), Which? never shares the full list of products with retailers as it wants to avoid any attempt to skew the results. Which? does not want supermarkets to compete with one another to lower prices only on the items they know they will be judged on. Instead, it wants retailers to work to make groceries affordable across the depth and breadth of their available lines. 

Full table of results for July in price order: 

Based on 76 items

Based on 192 items

Average price

Which? checks the prices of hundreds of grocery items at eight major supermarkets throughout the year, using an independent price comparison website. For each supermarket, Which? works out the average price of each item across the month, then adds those up to get each store's average price.

The consumer champion's shopping list comprises the country's most popular and widely available groceries, based on extensive market analysis. It includes branded items such as Cathedral City cheddar and Hellmann's mayonnaise, as well as own-brand products such as potatoes and baked beans.

Own-brand items won't be identical across supermarkets, but Which? has ensured everything compared is as similar as possible based on a number of factors, including quality and weight.

Loyalty pricing 

Which? looked at loyalty pricing for Lidl, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Waitrose, but none of the items on its shopping list had a loyalty price at Waitrose this month.

Asda's Rewards scheme offers cashback on products with loyalty promotions. Which? hasn't factored this into its main analysis because loyalty members don't receive a discount on the day and the cashback is only redeemable at Asda, within a limited period (up to nine months) and in increments of £1.

As there are restrictions on who can access loyalty prices, Which? will only award a cheapest supermarket endorsement to the retailer with the lowest prices that are available to all consumers.