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Aldi named cheapest supermarket of the month yet again
Aldi was the cheapest supermarket in March, beating rival discounter Lidl by less than £2.
We compared how much the UK’s biggest supermarkets charged for a selection of groceries last month and found that the total cost was £121.06 on average at Aldi and £122.95 at Lidl.
Waitrose was the most expensive supermarket in March, with an average price of £158.52 - around 31% more than Aldi.
Read on to find out how much the same shop cost at the UK’s biggest supermarkets - Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.
Asda is the cheapest of the ‘big four’
We checked the price of 71 popular food items - including a Hovis loaf, baked beans and carrots - at eight supermarkets every day throughout March to see how they compared.
The chart below shows the average cost of our shopping list of branded and own-label groceries:
Aldi was the cheapest overall at £121.06 on average, with rival discounter Lidl just £1.89 behind.
An equivalent selection of groceries cost £158.52 at Waitrose last month, making it a hefty £37.46 - or 31% - pricier than Aldi.
Of the ‘big four’ supermarkets, Asda was the cheapest at £138.31, while Tesco charged less than £1 more for an equivalent shop - £139.23.
We also compared the total cost of a longer list of 184 groceries, including more branded items. This analysis didn’t include Aldi or Lidl as they only stock a limited range of branded products.
For the results of our bumper price comparison, see our monthly guide to the cheapest supermarket.
How Which? compares supermarket prices
We track the prices of hundreds of grocery items at eight major supermarkets every day throughout the year, using an independent price comparison website.
For each supermarket, we work out the average price of each item across the month, then we add those up to get each store’s average price. We include special offers, but we don’t count multibuys or loyalty scheme discounts such as Nectar or Clubcard prices.
Our shopping list comprises the country’s most popular and widely available groceries, based on extensive market analysis.
It includes branded items such as Heinz baked beans and Dolmio sauce, as well as own-brand products such as apples and lettuce.
Own-brand items won’t be identical across supermarkets, but we’ve ensured everything we’ve compared is as similar as possible based on a number of factors, including quality and weight.
- Find out more: how to spend less at the supermarket
What’s happening to grocery costs?
Food price inflation slowed to its lowest rate in two years in March, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) shop price index. Food prices were up 3.7% compared to the previous year - down from 5% in February.
The BRC said that dairy products had dropped in price, but Easter treats were more expensive than in previous years due to high cocoa and sugar costs. We found that the price of some branded Easter eggs soared by more than 50% year on year.
Our food and drink inflation tracker also revealed that chocolate prices rose faster than any other type of food or drink in the three months to the end of February, but almost all product categories cost more than last year.
- Find out more: Which? food and drink inflation tracker
