Aldi has regained its position as the most affordable supermarket in the UK. Recent research conducted by consumer group Which? revealed that a typical shopping basket of 70 items at Aldi cost an average of £121.22 last month, narrowly beating out Lidl, which had held the title in October with an average cost of £122.35 for the same items, or £1.13 more for members of its Lidl Plus loyalty program. Tesco, on the other hand, was pricier overall, but Clubcard members managed to save an average of £2.55, resulting in an average cost of £133.65 compared to £136.20.
In contrast, the upmarket chain Waitrose emerged as the most expensive option, with an average cost of £166.79. Opting to purchase all groceries from either Aldi or Waitrose could lead to savings of over £45.
Which? routinely conducts this comparison each month across eight different supermarket chains, analyzing the cost of a standard set of 70 items that includes both own-brand products and popular branded items like Birds Eye peas and Hovis bread.
Additionally, a larger list of 183 groceries is compared, excluding Aldi and Lidl due to their focus on a smaller range of branded products. Asda stood out as the most economical choice for this larger shopping list, with an average cost of £455.52 last month. Asda’s commitment to price reductions to regain lost market share has made it a competitive option against discount retailers and other competitors.
Furthermore, Asda’s bill was found to be £9.71 cheaper than if shoppers had purchased the same items from Tesco and utilized their Clubcard benefits.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Waitrose was identified as the priciest option for the larger shopping list, with an average cost of £522.91, significantly higher than Asda. Waitrose also maintained its status as the most expensive supermarket for a smaller list of items, costing an average of £166.79, representing a 38% difference compared to Aldi, equating to a savings of £45.57.
Reena Sewraz, the retail editor at Which?, emphasized the ongoing battle for affordability between discounters like Aldi and Lidl, highlighting that both options provide significant cost savings. With the holiday season approaching, shopping around for the best prices is crucial, as selecting one supermarket over another could result in savings of up to 27%.
Based on the analysis, the average costs of the 70 items at various supermarkets were as follows:
– Aldi: £121.22
– Lidl (including loyalty discount): £122.35
– Lidl: £122.40
– Asda: £133.59
– Tesco (including loyalty discount): £133.65
– Tesco: £136.20
– Morrisons: £137.40
– Sainsbury’s (including loyalty discount): £137.77
– Sainsbury’s: £141.62
– Ocado: £154.37
– Waitrose: £166.79
For the larger list of 183 items, the average costs were:
– Asda: £455.52
– Tesco (including loyalty discount): £465.23
– Sainsbury’s (including loyalty discount): £471.84
– Morrisons (including loyalty discount): £476.96
– Morrisons: £478.96
– Tesco: £497.01
– Ocado: £501.03
– Sainsbury’s: £507.24
– Waitrose: £522.91