Aldi is cheapest supermarket in August, Which? finds

Aldi has been named the UK’s cheapest supermarket in August 2023 by Which?, while Asda has reclaimed its title for the cheapest retailer for a larger trolley of items.

The consumer champion’s monthly analysis involves comparing the average prices of a shop consisting of popular groceries at eight of the UK’s biggest supermarkets. Experts also look at a larger trolley of groceries at six supermarkets, as the discounters do not always stock big-brand products. 

The cheapest supermarket for a smaller basket of goods this month was Aldi, where a basket of goods cost £65.21 on average across the month. 

Fellow discounter Lidl was just behind Aldi, with a difference of £1.32 (£66.53 on average).

Waitrose was the most expensive this month, with a basket of groceries totalling £79.51 on average, which is 22 per cent more than Aldi – a difference of £14.30.

Which? also compared the cost of a larger trolley of 133 items – the original 37, plus 96 more. These 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, as they do not always stock some of these products.  

This month, Asda was the cheapest for this larger trolley of groceries, pushing Morrisons back into second place after it beat Asda last month. In August 2023, it cost £325.35 on average for this shop, beating the next cheapest, Morrisons (£341.28), by £15.93.

Waitrose was £43.69 more expensive than Asda, coming in at £369.04 or 13 per cent more, 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, even budget ranges at the discounters have risen in price significantly, and with most of the traditional supermarkets’ convenience stores failing to offer or stock budget lines, 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. 

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. Morrisons recently led by example by committing to stocking 40 of its budget items in its smaller convenience stores in the coming weeks.

Supermarkets also need to 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. 

Given the urgency of this cost of living crisis, Which? is 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.

Ele Clark, Which? Retail Editor, said:

“The cost of living crisis is taking its toll on households up and down the country and with many turning to discounters for their food shop, it is no surprise that our latest research shows that once again Aldi is the cheapest supermarket.

“Which? believes that supermarkets are failing to adequately help shoppers during the current crisis. They must ensure everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food ranges at a store near them – including providing a range of essential budget lines that support a healthy diet in smaller convenience stores. They must also provide transparent and comparable pricing so people can easily work out which products offer the best value.”

ENDS

Notes to editors: 

Full table of basket results (based on 37 items): 

Full table of trolley results (based on 133 items): 

• Every month, the consumer champion compares how much some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets charge for a basket and 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 this 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 Heinz baked beans and  PG Tips tea bags with own-label products, including  milk and pasta. 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? 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 setting out specific steps supermarkets can take such as clear and transparent pricing and access to affordable food ranges across all stores.

Useful links: 

• Supermarkets fail to make cheaper food ranges available to most at-risk shoppers
• How to spend less at the supermarket 
• Cheapest supermarket by month 
• Which? Food Inflation Tracker
• Loyalty cards compared

About Which?

Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, here to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone. Our research gets to the heart of consumer issues, our advice is impartial, and our rigorous product tests lead to expert recommendations. We’re the independent consumer voice that influences politicians and lawmakers, investigates, holds businesses to account and makes change happen. As an organisation we’re not for profit and all for making consumers more powerful.

The information in this press release is for editorial use by journalists and media outlets only. Any business seeking to reproduce information in this release should contact the Which? Endorsement Scheme team at endorsementscheme@which.co.uk.

Press Release