Press release
Aldi pips Lidl to cheapest supermarket of the year - as Which? research shows grocery prices rising sharply
5 min read
Ele Clark, Which? Retail Editor, said: "No one wants to overpay for basic groceries, especially when a cost of living crunch is putting extra pressure on household budgets. "Our findings show that while prices are going up, some supermarkets are passing their rising costs onto shoppers more than others. As well as choosing a supermarket that is cheap overall, other ways to save include swapping from branded to own-brand products, sticking to a shopping list and resisting the temptation to pick up special offers you don't need."
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Which? Analysis
- Which? checks the prices of hundreds of grocery items across eight major supermarkets every day throughout the year, using an independent price comparison website.
- For its 'cheapest supermarket of the month' analysis, Which? Works out the average price for each item at each supermarket across the month, and add the averages up to get an average trolley price for each store.
- Which? includes special offer prices but not multibuys, to keep it as fair as possible.
- The shopping list combines branded items such as Kenco coffee, Oxo stock cubes and PG Tips tea bags with own-label products, including onions and milk. 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.
- As well as a selection of everyday own brand items for the comparison which includes the discounters, Which? also compares a trolley packed with many more items, the original basket as well a greater selection of branded items, such as Cathedral City cheddar and Colgate toothpaste, that are not always available in the discounter supermarkets - so for this bigger trolley Which? is not able to include Aldi or Lidl.
- In December, Asda, at £135.07, was the cheapest of the traditional supermarkets for this larger trolley. It was £18.30 cheaper than the most expensive supermarket, Waitrose.
- While Waitrose was the most expensive almost every month for both the smaller basket and the larger trolley of items, Ocado was most expensive in January 2021 for the bigger trolley.
Price rises Which?'s analysis uncovered an average price rise of 3.4 per cent for a trolley of 19 items across all the supermarkets. Waitrose prices went up the most (9.2%), and Sainbury's the least (0.59%)
Supermarket | Grocery basket price rise Jan - Dec 2021 (%) |
Sainsbury's | 0.59% |
Tesco | 0.89% |
Ocado | 1.62% |
Morrisons | 2.50% |
Asda | 2.89% |
Aldi | 4.32% |
Lidl | 5.13% |
- Own label royal gala apples: up 14%
- Own label free-range eggs: up 12%
- Own label brown onions: up 11%
- Own label fresh skimmed milk: up 10%
- Own label fresh semi-skimmed milk: up 9%
Other info
- Market analyst firm Kantar has also found grocery price inflation reached 3.5 per cent in the four weeks to December 26, its highest level since spring 2020 (when promotions were cut to maintain availability). That's an extra £15 on shoppers' average monthly grocery bill. Before spring 2020 you would have to go back to January 2018 to see higher inflation.
- Kantar said prices were rising fastest for groceries such as fresh beef, savoury snacks and skincare. But the good news is they are falling for fresh bacon, bath and shower products and spirits.
- Meanwhile several big food and drink companies have warned they are preparing to increase prices, including P&G, Kraft Heinz, Mondelez, General Mills and Colgate-Palmolive. Inflation is being driven by supply chain pressures, rising wages and freight costs.
Useful links -
- How to spend less at the supermarket - https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/supermarkets/article/how-to-spend-less-at-the-supermarket-ak1KX1f4HCve
- Cheapest supermarket by month - https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/supermarkets/article/supermarket-price-comparison-aPpYp9j1MFin - Which?
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.