UK's cheapest supermarket revealed

Aldi was the cheapest UK supermarket in the month of October, according to analysis by consumer group Which?, with the German discount retailer taking the top spot for the fourth month in a row.

The analysis looked at the price of food, drink and household essentials at the UK’s major grocers, comparing the prices of 32 branded and own-label store-cupboard staples including milk, free-range eggs, Hovis wholemeal bread, and Knorr vegetable stock pots.

A basket of the 32 items cost £27.13 ($35.7) at Aldi, while rival discounter Lidl was revealed as the second cheapest at £31.59 — £4.46 more expensive. This is an unusually large difference between the two discounters, according to Which?

Asda (WMT) came in third place, with consumers spending £33.85 on the 32 items, followed by Morrisons (MRW.L) at £35.17.

The items cost £35.51 at the UK’s biggest supermarket Tesco (TSCO.L) — 30.9% more than Aldi.

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Waitrose was the most expensive, with the same items costing £44.13, followed by online grocer Ocado (OCDO.L) at £43.67.

Sainsbury’s (SBRY.L) was the third most expensive at £37.44.

A comparison of a bigger trolley of 103 products (the original 32 items, plus 71 more) found that Asda was the cheapest in September, with the items costing £181.69.

Sainsbury’s was more expensive by £7.50, with the trolley adding up to £189.19, followed by Tesco at £199.76.

Ocado was the most expensive supermarket for the 103 items, with the trolley of groceries costing £211.49.

This analysis included a bigger selection of branded items, such as Branston baked beans and Flash cleaning spray, which aren’t typically available all year round from the discounter retailers so Aldi and Lidl were not included in this comparison.

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In response to the four-week coronavirus lockdown in England, the UK’s biggest supermarkets told Which? that they will continue with the social distancing measures that were already in place, including floor markings, signage and perspex screens and advised customers to continue to follow government guidance on wearing face coverings in store.

Some supermarkets have reinstated priority shopping hours for customers, according to Which?

Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi, said: “We continue our focus on providing great quality products at the best value and we are proud to have been named the UK’s cheapest supermarket for the fourth consecutive month.

“We know that this continues to be a difficult time for so many families who are feeling the financial impact of COVID-19 so it is important to continue providing customers with the best value products of any supermarket.”

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