Aldi is cheapest supermarket in February, Which? finds
Aldi has been named the UK’s cheapest supermarket in February by Which?, as the consumer champion found shoppers could save almost £22 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 consisting of 43 popular groceries at eight of the UK’s biggest supermarkets, is done on a monthly basis.
The cheapest supermarket was Aldi, where the basket of goods was £74.81 on average. The same shop at Waitrose was £96.59 on average, a difference of £21.78.
Which? also compared the cost of a larger trolley of 139 items – the original 43, plus 96 more. These items 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, given that they do not always stock some of these products.
For another month, Asda was the cheapest for this larger trolley of groceries, and has continued to be the cheapest of the bigger supermarket chains since January 2020. In February, it cost £355.29 for this shop, beating the next cheapest, Sainsbury’s (£358.77), by £3.48.
Waitrose was an eye-watering £41.29 more expensive than Asda, coming in at £396.58, 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? recently launched its Affordable Food For All campaign, 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:
“The cost of living crisis has seen food and drink prices put huge pressure on household budgets. It is no surprise to see many people turning to discounters like Aldi when our research shows they could save up to £22 on a typical shop.
“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, you can save in other ways by swapping from branded to cheaper own-brand products, sticking to a shopping list, and resisting the temptation to pick up special offers you may not need.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Full table of basket results (based on 43 items):
| Retailer | Average basket price |
|---|---|
| Aldi | £74.81 |
| Lidl | £77.50 |
| Sainsbury’s | £85.25 |
| Tesco | £85.32 |
| Asda | £85.81 |
| Morrisons | £89.01 |
| Ocado | £89.96 |
| Waitrose | £96.59 |
Full table of trolley results (based on 139 items):
| Retailer | Average trolley price |
|---|---|
| Asda | £355.29 |
| Sainsbury’s | £358.77 |
| Morrisons | £371.86 |
| Tesco | £376.95 |
| Ocado | £382.54 |
| Waitrose | £396.58 |
- 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 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 Kenco coffee, PG Tips tea bags and Walkers crisps 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:
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