Tesco Clubcard beats Asda on price for branded groceries, Which? reveals
Tesco has been named the cheapest supermarket for branded groceries in September for shoppers using a Clubcard, but Which? research reveals those without a loyalty card could pay 14 per cent more for the same shop.
In an analysis of 219 popular branded groceries - including Heinz beans, Nescafé coffee and Mr Kipling cakes - the consumer champion found that Tesco with a Clubcard was the cheapest supermarket for branded groceries with the list costing £757.71 - beating Asda for the first time since Which? launched the tracker this year.
While Which? regularly finds Aldi and Lidl are the cheapest supermarkets overall in its monthly supermarket price comparisons, they are not included in this branded grocery analysis because they do not stock a sufficiently wide range of branded products.
Asda (£760.36), Morrisons with More (£771.81), Morrisons (£773.42) and Sainsbury’s with a Nectar card (£786.82) were the next-cheapest on average after Tesco with a Clubcard.
However, shoppers without loyalty cards faced significantly higher costs, with Tesco (£861.50) and Sainsbury's (£869.65) both proving more expensive than Waitrose (£829.04) and Ocado (£801.71) on average, highlighting the stark impact loyalty pricing can have on the cost of branded groceries.
Shopping at Sainsbury's without a Nectar card was the most expensive option overall, costing 14 per cent more than Tesco with a Clubcard.
Which? also found price differences of up to 117 per cent across everyday household items in major supermarkets in September.
This month, Pampers Premium Protection New Baby Diapers (50 Nappies) had the biggest difference between the highest and lowest price. It was at its lowest price, on average, at Asda (£4.27) and highest at Waitrose (£9.27) - a huge 117 per cent difference.
Which? found several other branded products - including Oral-B Pro Expert Toothpaste (75ml), Listerine Total Care Clean Mint Mouthwash (500ml) and Nescafé Azera Americano Instant Coffee (90g) priced at around twice as much at the most expensive supermarket compared with the cheapest.
There were 154 products from Sainsbury’s on loyalty promotion through the month of the consumer champion’s analysis, 146 at Tesco and six at Morrisons. None of the items in Which?'s analysis were subject to loyalty discounts at Waitrose. Asda and Ocado do not operate member-only pricing in the same way.
While loyalty cards can unlock substantial savings, some shoppers remain unwilling or unable to participate due to concerns around data privacy or eligibility requirements.
Shoppers looking to make the biggest savings may want to consider ditching branded goods altogether. Which? regularly finds supermarket own-brand alternatives are significantly cheaper and often just as good as well-known branded products.
Reena Sewraz, Which? Retail Editor, said:
“With household budgets under continued pressure, getting good value from the weekly food shop matters more than ever - and our latest research shows that where you shop, and whether you use a loyalty card, can make a significant difference to what you pay.
“Tesco was the cheapest supermarket for branded groceries in September for shoppers using a Clubcard, but those without a loyalty card could pay more than 14 per cent extra for the same shop. That's a significant difference that could be better spent elsewhere.
“Shoppers can save money by signing up to loyalty schemes, switching to own-brands and looking beyond promotions to compare the unit price of products. A little bit of price checking can go a long way when you’re trying to keep the cost of your food shop down.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
Research: The products with the biggest price differences
Which? compared the average price of branded groceries across supermarkets in September, including loyalty discounts where applicable, and identified the products with the largest percentage difference between the cheapest and most expensive supermarkets.
Average loyalty card prices where applicable:
Name | Cheapest retailer(s) | Cheapest price | Most expensive retailer(s) | Most expensive price | % difference |
Pampers 1, Premium Protection New Baby Diapers x50) | Asda | £4.27 | Waitrose | £9.27 | 117% |
Oral-B Pro Expert Toothpaste 75ml | Asda | £2.24 | Waitrose | £4.83 | 116% |
Listerine Total Care Clean Mint Mouthwash 500ml | Tesco (with Clubcard) | £3.01 | Waitrose | £6.06 | 101% |
L'Oreal Paris Elvive Bond Repair Shampoo 200ml | Sainsbury's (with Nectar) | £6.72 | Sainsbury's*, Tesco** | £13.00 | 93% |
Nescafé Azera Americano Instant Coffee 90g | Tesco (with Clubcard) | £3.75 | Sainsbury's*, Tesco** | £7.25 | 93% |
Colgate Plax Cool Mint Mouthwash 500ml | Tesco (with Clubcard) | £2.40 | Sainsbury's*, Tesco** | £4.50 | 88% |
Tilda Boil In Bag Basmati Rice 4x62.5g 250g | Asda | £1.16 | Sainsbury's* | £2.15 | 86% |
Plenty White Original Kitchen Rolls x2 | Asda | £3.13 | Waitrose | £5.80 | 85% |
Fairy-Platinum Plus All In One Dishwasher Tablets Lemon x36 | Waitrose, Waitrose (inc loyalty discount) | £6.72 | Sainsbury's*, Tesco** | £12.00 | 79% |
Quorn Meat Free Chicken Style Pieces 300g | Waitrose, Waitrose (inc loyalty discount) | £1.55 | Ocado, Sainsbury's*, Tesco** | £2.75 | 77% |
Mr Kipling Mini Battenberg Cakes x5 | Tesco (with Clubcard) | £1.58 | Sainsbury's*, Tesco** | £2.75 | 74% |
Little Moons Mochi Ice Cream Vegan Passionfruit And Mango Ice Cream 6 x 32g 192g | Sainsbury's (with Nectar) | £3.00 | Waitrose | £5.15 | 72% |
Starbucks Frappuccino Mocha Chocolate Flavoured Milk Iced Coffee 250ml | Waitrose, Waitrose (inc loyalty discount) | £1.32 | Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco, | £2.20 | 67% |
Mr Kipling Angel Cake Slices x8 | Tesco (with Clubcard) | £2.15 | Tesco** | £3.50 | 63% |
Mr Kipling Fruit Pie Selection x6 | Asda, Morrisons, Morrisons (with More) | £2.00 | Sainsbury's*, Tesco** | £3.25 | 63% |
Lynx Africa Anti Perspirant Deodorant Spray 150ml | Tesco (with Clubcard) | £2.44 | Morrisons | £3.95 | 62% |
Sharwoods Medium Egg Noodles 226g | Morrisons, Morrisons (with More) | £1.33 | Ocado | £2.15 | 62% |
Sensodyne Repair And Protect Whitening Sensitive Toothpaste 75ml | Tesco (with Clubcard) | £4.12 | Waitrose | £6.65 | 61% |
Maltesers Pouch 158g | Morrisons, Morrisons (with More) | £2.50 | Sainsbury's* | £4.00 | 60% |
Birds Eye Original Potato Waffles x10 567g | Waitrose, Waitrose (inc loyalty discount) | £1.47 | Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's*, Tesco** | £2.35 | 60% |
Average loyalty card prices where applicable:
*Sainsbury’s with Nectar: Nescafe Azera Americano Instant Coffee (90g) (£4.63), Colgate Plax Cool Mint Mouthwash (500ml) (£4.43), L'Oreal Paris Elvive Bond Repair Shampoo (200ml) (£6.72), Tilda Boil In Bag Basmati Rice (4 x 62.5g) (£1.81), Fairy-Platinum Plus All In One Dishwasher Tablets Lemon (x36) (£9.20), Quorn Meat Free Chicken Style Pieces (300g) (£2.25), Mr Kipling Mini Battenberg Cakes (x5) (£1.88), Mr Kipling Fruit Pie Selection (x6) (£2.80), Maltesers Pouch (158g) (£3.60), Birds Eye Original Potato Waffles (x10) (£1.93).
**Tesco with Clubcard: Nescafe Azera Americano Instant Coffee (90g) (£3.75), Colgate Plax Cool Mint Mouthwash (500ml) (£2.40), L'Oreal Paris Elvive Bond Repair Shampoo (200ml) (£12.78), Fairy-Platinum Plus All In One Dishwasher Tablets Lemon (x36) (£10), Quorn Meat Free Chicken Style Pieces (300g) (£2.67), Mr Kipling Mini Battenberg Cakes (x5) (£1.58), Mr Kipling Angel Cake Slices (x8) (£2.15), Birds Eye Original Potato Waffles (x10) (£1.78).
Price analysis methodology
Which? analysed the price of 219 groceries from the most popular brands – including Chicago Town, Dove, Kellogg’s, Mr Kipling, Nescafé and Tilda – every day over the course of a month to work out the average cost per item. These are added up to get each supermarket's average total price.
The list represents the most popular brands across a wide range of grocery categories based on industry data and is designed to produce a robust sample rather than to be representative of a typical shop.
Which? includes loyalty discounts separately in the table where they are available. The value of points, personalised discounts or other rewards are not included as these vary.
Supermarket | Total Price | Number of products on loyalty discount | Percentage difference |
Tesco (with Clubcard) | £757.71 | 146 | 0.00% |
Asda | £760.36 | 0 | 0.35% |
Morrisons (with More) | £771.81 | 6 | 1.86% |
Morrisons | £773.42 | 0 | 2.07% |
Sainsbury's (with Nectar) | £786.82 | 154 | 3.84% |
Ocado | £801.71 | 0 | 5.81% |
Waitrose | £829.04 | 0 | 9.41% |
Tesco | £861.50 | 0 | 13.70% |
Sainsbury's | £869.65 | 0 | 14.77% |
While Aldi and Lidl are regularly found to be the cheapest supermarkets overall in Which?'s monthly supermarket price analysis, they were not included in this branded grocery comparison because they do not stock a sufficiently wide range of branded products.
Right of Replies
Each supermarket included in our price analysis was given the right to reply to specific examples.
A spokesperson for Asda said: “Both of Which?’s supermarket comparison surveys consistently show that Asda is the cheapest full-range supermarket for shoppers, without the need for a loyalty card. Customers can be confident they're getting great value on the brands and everyday products they buy the most, with clear and consistent pricing that's available to all.”
A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "Eleven out of the twelve items flagged in this report were cheaper on Nectar Prices and with 85 per cent of sales involving a Nectar card, we’re confident our customers are getting great value when they shop with us.
"We have not been able to verify the calculations used by Which? as the group has not shared its full analysis with us. We continue to focus on offering outstanding value on the products people buy most often, with more than 10,000 Nectar Price offers available every week on top of personalised Your Nectar Prices."
A spokesperson for Tesco said: “Clubcard unlocks the best savings at Tesco, and with more than 80% of sales at Tesco involving a Clubcard, millions of customers are unlocking the extra value that Clubcard provides each week. But Clubcard unlocks even more than Clubcard Prices, as the Clubcard Points Tesco customers collect on their shopping offer savings on everything from meals out and cinema tickets to holidays and travel.”
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.