Which? reveals the best and worst supermarkets of 2023

M&S, Aldi and Waitrose have come top of the Which? annual supermarket satisfaction survey of in-store shopping , highlighting how the discounter can compete with premium supermarkets for its great quality and win over shoppers with exceptional value for money. 

Shoppers were dazzled by the quality of food, customer service and the appearance of M&S and Waitrose stores, but value is a key battleground this year and Aldi's customer score and rating on value for money means its the only supermarket to be named a Which? Recommended Provider for in-store shopping.

Meanwhile, Ocado is the leading supermarket when it comes to online grocery shopping, with customers loving its range of groceries, delivery slot availability and customer service. 

Read on to find out how all the supermarkets compared.

The UK's best supermarkets

The past few years’ turmoil of supply chain issues, staffing shortages and pandemic disruption now seems like small fry in comparison to spiralling food inflation. This all means it’s more important than ever that supermarkets get it right for customers. 

We surveyed 3,007 members of the public about their favourite supermarkets, quizzing them on a range of factors, from store appearance and quality of produce to value for money. You can see some of the topline results in the tables below. 

For the full star ratings, including which stores are best for queue lengths, customer service and online delivery slots, see our supermarkets compared guide.

Best supermarkets for in-store shopping 

Top of the table for in-store shopping is Marks & Spencer (Marksandspencer.com), for the second year in a row. It’s closely followed by Aldi (Aldi.co.uk) and Waitrose (Waitrose.com) in joint second place. 

Together, M&S and rival Waitrose are the only in-store supermarkets that get top marks for the quality of their food and drink, customer service and the appearance of their stores. In fact, M&S scores well on everything except value for money, which Waitrose also scored poorly on. 

One shopper said: 'Excellent quality, but it has its price.' Another said: 'Quality is exceptional. The staff were amazing and very helpful.' However, M&S doesn’t qualify as a Which? Recommended Provider, as it performs poorly on value for money.

The table below shows the results of our survey for in-store shopping. Links take you to our in-depth reviews of each supermarket.

Aldi named Which? Recommended Provider

Aldi comes in joint second place for shopping in-store and is the only supermarket to be named a Which? Recommended Provider for its all-round great performance – doing particularly well on value and the quality of its products.

Shoppers are less impressed with the availability of its groceries and the queuing time at its checkouts. However, it was the cheapest supermarket in 2022 in our regular grocery price comparison – its limited range and lack of frills mean it can offer lower prices than other supermarkets. 

One shopper said: 'It is a very economical place to shop. I can get almost all my shopping in Aldi. Sometimes there are items that are out of stock, but it's worth the inconvenience for the financial savings.'

Aldi has also passed our tests on a range of behind-the-scenes measures including food safety, nutritional labelling and improving access to affordable food. 

• Find out more: How to spend less at the supermarket

Best supermarkets for online shopping 

Ocado (Ocado.com) tops the table for shopping online. Shoppers love its vast range of groceries, the availability of delivery slots and its customer service. It gets only a mediocre three stars for value – although no online supermarket does better than this. 

One regular customer said: 'Excellent quality of products and great customer service. Delivery drivers are friendly and punctual. Always easy to get a delivery slot.' 

Ocado is not a Which? Recommended Provider, as it’s regularly the second most expensive supermarket in our monthly price comparison.  

The table below shows the results of our survey for online shopping. Links take you to our in-depth reviews of each supermarket.

• Find out more: best and worst supermarkets of 2023

Which supermarkets are the worst performers?

The Co-op is in last place for shopping in store – as it was last year. It performs miserably on availability, range and quality. Even worse, it gets the lowest possible rating for value for money. The only thing it does well on is checkout queuing time. 

In fairness, the Co-op has a large grocery market share – which is why it’s in our survey – but does focus more on convenience-style stores, which could explain some of its poor ratings. 

One fed-up Co-op customer said: 'The store is dirty, with stock lying in the aisles, not on the shelves, the staff are often not interested in helping... I only use it as it's closer than the larger shops.'

It’s also a bad year for Morrisons, which came last in shopping online. 

It scores poorly on value for money, whether you shop in-store or online. Shoppers rate the availability of its groceries badly, as well as its choice of substitutions in deliveries. 

Our supermarket food price inflation tracker shows that Morrisons prices have been rising faster than most other supermarkets, except the discounters. This might be because of its unique business model – as well as a retailer, it’s also the UK’s largest fresh food manufacturer. 

One Morrisons shopper said: 'Prices have gone up so much, they are outpricing themselves.'

• Find out more: Which is the cheapest supermarket?

Value is a key battleground

Most telling of all is the fact that, for the first time in a decade, no supermarket has achieved the top five stars for value for money when shopping in-store. With online grocery shopping, it’s even worse, as no supermarket achieved more than three stars for value.

Price is one thing, but value is slightly different. And shoppers clearly believe supermarkets could do more. Indeed, separate Which? research shows trust in supermarkets is dropping as prices rise. 

Supermarkets are treading a fine line between keeping prices low, paying their staff decent wages, maintaining supplier relationships and keeping shareholders happy. But while their margins are relatively small compared to many other businesses, they do make big profits.

• Find out more: what's happening to supermarket food prices? 

Which? calls on supermarkets to do more

Which? has launched an Affordable Food for All campaign after it found millions of families are skipping meals to survive the cost of living crisis. 

In an innovative new study, undertaken with researchers from the Consumer Data Research Centre at the University of Leeds, we've identified 50 of the most at-risk areas for finding affordable food in the UK.

We're calling on supermarkets to commit to clear pricing, better access to budget ranges that enable healthy choices and more offers for those who need them most.

• Do you want to see supermarkets take action? Sign the petition.