Aldi is the cheapest supermarket of 2023, Which? reveals
Aldi has beaten rival Lidl to be named as the cheapest supermarket of the year, Which? research has revealed.
Each month during 2023, Which? tracked thousands of grocery prices across eight of the UK’s biggest supermarkets (Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose) to find out how much each shop was charging for everyday items.
Aldi was the cheapest supermarket for 11 months of the year, with Lidl beating the rival discounter for one month in October.
The results for the final month of the year in December showed a basket of 43 groceries on average was £74.83 at Aldi, narrowly pipping Lidl, where the basket was £76.74.
Waitrose was almost £20 pricier than Aldi in December, at £94.94 and was the most expensive supermarket every month throughout 2023.
Each month, Which? also compares the cost of a larger trolley of more than 100 items. This includes a larger number of branded items and does not include discounter supermarkets Aldi and Lidl, as they do not always stock some of these products.
Waitrose was the most expensive supermarket for 11 months of the year for a larger trolley, with the exception of September when Sainsbury’s emerged as the most expensive for customers shopping without a loyalty card.
Asda was the cheapest supermarket for a larger trolley for 11 months of the year, with the exception of July when Morrisons came out as the cheapest.
In December, the larger trolley contained 131 items – the same 43 as the smaller basket, plus 88 more. This included a larger number of branded items, such as Andrex toilet paper and Cathedral City cheese.
Asda was the cheapest of the traditional supermarkets in December. Based on a trolley of 131 products, Asda was cheapest at £326.77, followed by Morrisons (£336.41), Ocado (£346.23), Tesco (£349.34), Sainsbury’s (£354.06) and Waitrose, where the total came to £367.79.
The analysis includes special offer prices but not multi-buys or loyalty discounts. While there are discounts that can be made through loyalty card schemes, these are only available to people prepared to sign up to loyalty schemes. As not every consumer is able to do so Which? considers it fairer only to include prices that are available to all.
This latest pricing analysis from Which? demonstrates that shoppers can make considerable savings on their groceries depending on where they buy their food.
With consumers still struggling to put food on the table, Which? believes it is imperative that the government and supermarkets continue to do everything they can to support vulnerable customers, including by ensuring cheaper budget ranges are available in local convenience stores.
Ele Clark, Which? Retail Editor, said:
“With food prices continuing to put immense pressure on household budgets, it’s no surprise to see many people turning to discounters like Aldi and Lidl. Our research shows that Aldi was the cheapest supermarket of 2023, with shoppers saving almost £20 there in December compared to the most expensive store.
“Which? believes that supermarkets can do more to help shoppers during the current cost of living crisis. Although some have begun to make progress, we’d like to see all supermarkets stocking their smaller convenience stores with a selection of budget-range healthy foods, particularly in those areas most in need.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Full table of basket results for December (based on 43 items):
| Retailer | Average basket price |
|---|---|
| Aldi | £74.83 |
| Lidl | £76.74 |
| Asda | £84.21 |
| Sainsbury's | £84.54 |
| Tesco | £84.86 |
| Morrisons | £87.24 |
| Ocado | £89.28 |
Full table of trolley results for December (based on 131 items):
| Retailer | Average trolley price |
|---|---|
| Asda | £326.77 |
| Morrisons | £336.41 |
| Ocado | £346.23 |
| Tesco | £349.34 |
| Sainsbury's | £354.06 |
| Waitrose | £367.79 |
Background
Each month Which? compares how much supermarkets charge for both a basket of around 40 items, and a larger trolley of around 130 items. Which? does not "cherry-pick" the items in its monthly shopping baskets. Both data sets are taken, based on availability across supermarkets that month, from our wider pool of around 200 groceries. These have been picked using industry data on sales value and availability, making them by definition among the most popular groceries.
Because the main pool of around 200 groceries remains entirely unchanged from month to month, Which? never shares the full list of products with retailers as we want to avoid any attempt to skew the results. We do not want supermarkets to compete with one another to lower prices only on the items they know they will be judged on. Instead we want retailers to work to make groceries affordable across the depth and breadth of their available lines.
We make it clear that the analysis includes special offer prices but not multi-buys or loyalty discounts. Loyalty discounts are only available to people prepared to sign up to loyalty schemes. As not every consumer is able to do so we consider it fairer to only include prices that are available to all.
Useful links:
- Supermarkets fail to make cheaper food ranges available to most at-risk shoppers
- How to spend less at the supermarket
- Cheapest supermarket by month
- Which? Food Inflation Tracker
- Loyalty cards compared
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 the information in this release should contact the Which? Endorsement Scheme team at endorsementscheme@which.co.uk.