Tesco and Sainsbury's standard prices more expensive for branded items than Waitrose, Which? finds

Which? found that shoppers not using loyalty cards paid more on average at Tesco and Sainsbury’s than at Waitrose.
Asda was the cheapest overall for the list of branded groceries
Prices can be dramatically lower with loyalty cards

Tesco and Sainsbury’s customers are paying more than Waitrose shoppers for some of Britain’s most popular branded groceries if they aren’t signed up to loyalty schemes, according to new Which? analysis of average prices in February.

In a new price analysis of branded goods, the consumer champion compared a list of 245 branded items - including Heinz, Nescafé, and Mr Kipling. The list represents the most popular brands in a wide range of grocery categories based on industry data, and is designed to produce a robust sample of data, rather than to be representative of a typical shop. The analysis found that in February, the list of branded goods was, on average, most expensive for customers at Sainsbury’s and Tesco who were not using the Nectar or Clubcard loyalty schemes.

While most people are part of a membership scheme, some customers may be unwilling to sign up to loyalty cards for reasons such as data privacy, others have no choice due to unfair eligibility criteria. Currently Tesco customers who are under-18 can not sign up to a Clubcard, however the supermarket recently said it would review this before the end of the year.

The Which? list of items was most expensive at Sainsbury’s for non-Nectar members (£942.66), 14 per cent more than the cheapest retailer in this analysis, Asda (£823.58). Tesco followed closely, with its non-Clubcard price totalling 11 per cent more (£916.56).

Which? regularly finds that discounters Aldi and Lidl are the cheapest supermarkets overall, however they were not included in this analysis as they do not stock a sufficiently large range of branded goods.

Both of the UK’s largest grocers were found to be more expensive for non-members than Waitrose (£899.05), a retailer synonymous with a more upmarket - and expensive - weekly shop. Waitrose was nine per cent more than Asda and emerged as a more competitive option.

Which? found several products that were cheaper at Waitrose, including Amoy Straight To Wok Noodles, which were on average £1.25 at both Waitrose and Morrisons but most expensive at Sainsbury’s and Tesco without a loyalty card at an average £2.15 - a 72 per cent difference.

Ryvita Thins (Sea Salt & Vinegar) were also cheapest on average at Waitrose at £1.25 but shoppers buying this product at Morrisons, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s without a loyalty card would all have paid an average of £2.30, making them 84 per cent more expensive.

Which? found that Asda was the cheapest destination for the list of branded goods at £823.58 on average. Some of the biggest price differences include Oral B Pro Expert Toothpaste, which was cheapest at Asda in February at an average £2.24 while the same product was most expensive at Sainsbury’s and Tesco without a loyalty card at £3.95 - 76 per cent more.

The same was true with Sharwoods Medium Egg Noodles, which were £1.28 at Asda but £2.10 at Tesco without a Clubcard - 64 per cent more, on average.

Which? also found that Filippo Berio Olive Oil (750ml) was £4.98 on average at Asda, compared to £8 at Sainsbury’s without a Nectar card, 61 per cent more expensive.

For customers with a Clubcard, Which? found that the same list of groceries at Tesco fell to £837.43 on average - just two per cent more expensive than Asda.

Which? found various instances of branded products where the Tesco Clubcard price was the cheapest on average. Carex Hand Wash was 95p at Tesco (with Clubcard) but £1.70 at Waitrose where it was the most expensive - 79 per cent more.

Another example showed Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut cornflakes (300g) was £1.55 on average in February, while the highest average price among the supermarkets was at Waitrose (£2.50) - 61 per cent more.

The data underscores the dramatic price gulf created by loyalty pricing. In one example at Tesco, Which? found a 200ml bottle of L’Oreal Paris Elvive Bond Repair Shampoo was double the price on average for shoppers without a Clubcard - a whopping £13 compared to £6.50. The higher price was also found at both Morrisons and Sainsbury's.

A deep dive into coffee prices further highlights the discrepancy. Which? found that for a 200g jar of Kenco Smooth, shoppers at Tesco and Sainsbury’s without a loyalty card were charged £8.35 - the highest price on the market. In contrast, the same jar was £7.00 at Waitrose and £6.32 at Asda, on average. Similarly, for Nescafé Gold Blend, Waitrose had the cheapest average price (£6.25), while non-members at Sainsbury’s were asked to pay £8.35.

Meanwhile, Which? found customers who used a Nectar card at Sainsbury’s could expect to pay only three per cent more than Asda (£848.56).

Morrisons averaged four per cent more expensive than Asda when using a More card (£858.67), and five per cent more expensive without one (£860.79).

Ocado (£867.17) was also five per cent more expensive than Asda.

Across the supermarkets, Which? identified other products with drastically different price points. The largest difference in average price was on Tilda boil in the bag basmati rice (4 pack), which was £1 at Tesco without a loyalty card but £2.25 at Waitrose (125%).

Reena Sewraz, Which? Retail Editor, said:

“Our analysis reveals a shocking truth and shows the impact loyalty schemes have had on grocery pricing. Branded favourites can actually be cheaper at Waitrose than at the UK's biggest supermarkets for shoppers who don't use a loyalty card - something that would have seemed unthinkable until a few years ago.

"If you’ve got your heart set on specific brands, your best bet is to shop around, keep a close eye on the unit price, and stock up whenever you see a good deal - otherwise, you’re likely to end up paying way over the odds.

"While loyalty cards definitely offer some savings, if you don't use one you’re better off heading to Asda, where the pricing is usually cheaper on a range of branded goods."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Research:

Which? analysed the price of 245 groceries from the most popular brands - including Dove, Chicago Town, Kellogg’s, Nescafé, Tilda and Mr Kipling - every day over the course of a month to work out the average cost per item. The consumer champion then added those up to get each supermarket's average total price.
The list is not supposed to represent a typical shopper's basket, Which? specifically chose a larger sample of products because it provides the most robust evidence of pricing across each supermarket's range.
Which? included loyalty discounts separately in the table where they are available. However, it can’t include the value of points, personalised discounts or other rewards as these vary from customer to customer. The data is supplied by an independent price comparison company.
While the discounters offer great value and are consistently the cheapest in Which?'s monthly analysis of own-label products and a smaller range of branded items, they were not included in this specific branded goods comparison. This is because Aldi and Lidl do not stock the same range of branded goods as the other supermarkets

Right of Reply:

Each supermarket included in Which?'s price analysis was given the right to reply:

A Morrisons spokesperson said: “Morrisons remains committed to providing good, honest value and we’re working hard to keep our prices down and competitive so our customers can spend less while still enjoying the quality Morrisons is famous for. In addition, our More Card members can earn Five More Points on every product in store, online and in Morrisons Daily stores and also benefit from personalised offers and money-off coupons on the things they buy the most of. Customers to our Cafés can also take advantage of a range of offers such as our Kids Eat Free promotion, which runs every day, or free refills on all hot drinks.”

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We have invested over £1 billion in recent years to help keep prices low and we know more customers are choosing to do their shop at Sainsbury’s. We are committed to helping customers access great quality at lower prices and remain focused on offering outstanding value across thousands of products through our Aldi Price Match scheme, Nectar Prices, Your Nectar Prices and our own‑brand value lines.”

Useful links

Which? supermarket food inflation tracker shows what's happening to grocery prices

Cheapest supermarket of the month price analysis

About Which?

Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, empowering people to make confident choices and demand better. Through our research, investigations and product testing, we provide trusted insight and expert recommendations on the issues that matter most to consumers.

Fiercely independent, we put people over profit - shining a light on unfair practices, influencing policy and holding businesses to account to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone.

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.