Aldi was named the UK’s cheapest supermarket in June earning the title for a 13th month running – with shoppers saving £16 on an average basket of items compared to Waitrose.
Researchers at Which? compare the average prices of a shop, consisting of around 40 popular groceries, at eight of the UK’s biggest supermarkets each month.
Aldi was the cheapest supermarket, costing £75.25 on average over June – and Lidl was narrowly behind by just £1.93, with their basket costing £77.18.
Waitrose was the most expensive this month at £91.80, 22 per cent more than Aldi and a difference of £16.55.
Which? also compared the cost of a larger trolley of 134 items – the original 42, plus 92 more.
| SUPERMARKET | AVERAGE COST |
|---|---|
| Aldi | £75.25 |
| Lidl | £77.18 |
| Asda | £82.55 |
| Tesco | £82.67 |
| Sainsbury’s | £83.46 |
| Morrisons | £85.98 |
| Ocado | £89.20 |
| Waitrose | £91.80 |
These items included a larger number of branded items, such as Andrex toilet paper and Cathedral City cheese
This analysis did not include discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl, as they do not always stock some of these products.
This month, Asda was the cheapest for the larger trolley of groceries, a title it has held since January 2020.
In June, it cost £333.16 on average for Asda’s shop, beating the next cheapest, Morrisons, by £10.25, where it cost £343.41.
Waitrose was an eye-watering £36.73 more expensive than Asda, coming in at £369.89, on average – 11 per cent more.
This analysis shows that shoppers can make big savings on their groceries depending on where they buy their food.
But even budget ranges at the discounters are being hit by significant price rises.
And with the traditional supermarkets’ convenience stores failing to offer or stock budget lines, consumer champions Which? say shops must do more to help their customers.
Which? said 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.
They said that supermarkets could be doing more by ensuring smaller convenience stores stock a range of essential budget lines that support a healthy diet, especially in areas where they are most needed.
The consumer champions also said shops should ensure unit pricing is clear so that customers can easily work out the best value products. This includes providing unit pricing on loyalty card prices.
While some of the supermarkets have engaged with Which? as part of its Affordable Food For All campaign, they claim that action to date has been severely limited.
Annual inflation rate for food and non-alcoholic beverages ease slightly in May 2023
They are now, given the cost-of-living crisis, urgently calling on the government to act now and work with supermarkets to secure these changes that could make a real difference to millions of people struggling to put food on the table.
| SUPERMARKET | AVERAGE COST |
|---|---|
| Asda | £333.16 |
| Morrisons | £343.41 |
| Tesco | £353.37 |
| Sainsbury’s | £356.15 |
| Ocado | £359.19 |
| Waitrose | £369.89 |
Ele Clark, Which? Retail Editor, said: ‘Millions of people are struggling during the worst cost of living crisis in decades, and Which?’s research shows why many shoppers are turning to discounters like Aldi and Lidl.
‘Which? believes that supermarkets are currently falling short when it comes to helping shoppers.
‘They have a responsibility to ensure everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food ranges at a store near them, and to provide transparent and comparable pricing so people can easily work out which products offer the best value.’
A Waitrose spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘We’re proud of our high standards, and do not think our meat, dairy and egg products can be compared with other supermarkets directly, given our animal welfare credentials.
‘Which?’s price comparison also excludes multibuy offers which are extremely popular amongst our customers for both our branded and own-branded products.’
In late June, Jeremy Hunt claimed to have secured a deal with watchdogs for them to ‘act urgently’ in a bid to ease the strain on Britons struggling with household bills.
The Chancellor met with the bosses of regulators in Downing Street in June as families continue to be battered by the cost-of-living crisis
The Chancellor met with the bosses of regulators in Downing Street as families continue to be battered by the cost-of-living crisis.
Mr Hunt told the chiefs of the Competition and Market Authority (CMA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Ofcom, Ofgem and Ofwat to work ‘at pace’ to ensure markets are operating properly.
It comes amid concerns businesses are not wholly passing on recent falls in wholesale energy prices and other costs with claims of ‘greedflation’ among firms.
The Bank of England has suggested some retailers are hiking prices or failing to pass on lower costs to consumers as a way of increasing their profit margins at a time of stubborn inflation.
