Aldi is the cheapest supermarket in June, Which? finds

Aldi has been named the UK’s cheapest supermarket in June by Which?, as the consumer champion found shoppers could save over £16 on a basket of items there compared to the most expensive store.

Which?’s analysis, which involves comparing the average prices of a shop consisting of popular groceries at eight of the UK’s biggest supermarkets, is done on a monthly basis.

The cheapest supermarket this month was Aldi, where a basket of goods cost £75.25 on average across the month. Lidl was just behind Aldi, with a difference of £1.93 (£77.18).

Waitrose was the most expensive this month, with a basket of goods totalling £91.80, that is 22 per cent more than Aldi – a difference of £16.55.

Which? also compared the cost of a larger trolley of 134 items – the original 42, plus 92 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, as they do not always stock some of these products.  

This month, Asda was the cheapest for this larger trolley of groceries, a title it has held since January 2020. In June 2023, it cost £333.16 on average for this shop, beating the next cheapest, Morrisons (£343.41), by £10.25.

Waitrose was an eye-watering £36.73 more expensive than Asda, coming in at £369.89, on average, for the trolley of comparable goods – 11 per cent more. 

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 are rising in price significantly, and with 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, as well as ensuring that 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 the consumer champion as part of its Affordable Food For All campaign, action to date has been severely limited. 

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:

“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.”

 

ENDS

 

Notes to editors: 

 

Full table of basket results (based on 42 items): 

Retailer Average basket price
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

 

Full table of trolley results (based on 134 items): 

Retailer Average trolley price
Asda £333.16
Morrisons  £343.41
Tesco £353.37
Sainsbury’s £356.15
Ocado £359.19
Waitrose £369.89

 

  • 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: 

 

 

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.

 

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