A supermarket that has been the priciest for a basket of essentials since May has now become the third cheapest, just behind Aldi and Lidl.
This comes after it reduced the cost of an essential item by 15% in the past week. In our comparison of basic groceries, which has monitored the cost of the same eight items since March 2022, Tesco has consistently been the most expensive for 18 weeks straight. However, this week marks a significant change as the retailer cut the price of its 300g pack of chicken breasts from £2.65 to £2.25, aligning with its Aldi Price Match. Consequently, Tesco, at £12.33, is now the third cheapest for the basket of essentials, which includes chicken, mince, a two-pint bottle of milk, a loaf of bread, coffee, teabags, butter and beans.
With a total bill of £12.12, Aldi has reclaimed the title of ‘cheapest’ supermarket from Morrisons, which had held the accolade for three consecutive weeks. The More Card offer that resulted in a 15% reduction in its chicken price has now ended, pushing the supermarket into fourth position with a cost of £12.45. Lidl trails closely behind Aldi, at £12.13, while Sainsbury’s, which has recently changed the size of its chicken breast pack from 300g to 320g, making the comparative size slightly cheaper, is now the second most expensive at £12.54.
Asda has unfortunately taken the title of most expensive, partly due to Tesco’s price drop, but also because it has increased the price of two products this week, reports Manchester Evening News. Asda has been in the spotlight for increasing the price of its Just Essentials coffee from 99p to £1 a jar, and for raising the cost of butter by 10p for the second consecutive week, making it the priciest among competitors at £1.89 per block.
The supermarket giant contends that prices for individual items can vary due to multiple factors but was quick to point out that it has once again been crowned the cheapest in the Grocer 33 price comparison, even when taking into account other stores’ loyalty schemes. The retailer has challenged our weekly price comparison, arguing that our limited selection of goods doesn’t reflect the broader pricing landscape or consider Asda’s promotional offers.
They assert that their Just Essentials line remains the most extensive and affordable option, rivalling Aldi’s range. An Asda spokesperson defended the company’s pricing strategy: “Asda is consistently recognised as the best-value traditional supermarket in independent price comparison surveys, including the Grocer 33 basket comparison and the Which? monthly big shop trolley comparison. This is despite these surveys now including loyalty pricing.”
They also highlighted the benefits of the Asda Rewards app, which allows customers to earn money back on purchases: “In addition to offering the lowest prices of any traditional supermarket, our customers can make further savings by using the Asda Rewards app. The app gives them money back into their Cashpot each time they shop, which they can use to reduce the price they pay at the till. In less than two years since its launch, Rewards is now used by over six million customers who have saved more than £553m in total.”
Aldi has challenged the results of our weekly price comparison, claiming that it fails to reflect similarities between products or the ‘higher quality’ of Aldi’s offerings – an aspect underscored by this week’s Panorama probe. The supermarket argues, for instance, that its beans surpass Sainsbury’s by 20g in weight and boasts superior quality tea bags.
An Aldi spokesperson asserted: “Our promise to customers is that they will make significant savings every time they shop with Aldi, which is why we’ve been named Which? Cheapest Supermarket of the Year for three years running. Which? has also named Aldi the UK’s Cheapest Supermarket every month this year, even in its latest analysis including loyalty prices.” A breakdown of the full shopping list per supermarket is below.
Aldi
Loaf of white bread 800g – 47p
Milk 2 pints – £1.20
Coffee 200g – £1.99
Teabags 160 – £1.85
Salted butter 250g – £1.79
Beans 420g tin – 28p
Chicken 300g – £2.25
Mince 500g 25% fat – £2.29
Total: £12.12
Lidl
Loaf of white bread 800g – 47p
Milk 2 pints – £1.20
Coffee 200g – £1.99
Teabags 240 – £2.79 (equates to £1.86 for 160)
Salted butter 250g – £1.79
Beans 420g tin – 28p
Chicken 300g – £2.25
Mince 500g 25% fat – £2.29
Total: £12.13
Tesco
Loaf of white bread 800g – 47p
Milk 2 pints – £1.20
Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) – £2
Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack) – £1.84
Salted butter 250g – £1.79
Beans 420g tin – 29p
Chicken 300g – £2.25 (down from £2.65)
Mince 500g 20% fat – £2.49
Total: £12.33 (down from £12.73)
Morrisons
Loaf of white bread 800g – 47p
Milk 2 pints – £1.20
Coffee (2 x 100g) – £1.98
Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack Savers) – £1.60
Savers Salted butter 250g – £1.79
Beans 410g tin – 27p
Chicken 300g – £2.65 for 330g, equates to £2.41 for 300g (up from £2.25 for 330g / £2.05 for 300g)
Mince 500g 25% fat – £2.29
Total: £12.45 (up from £12.05)
Sainsbury’s
Loaf of white bread 800g – 47p
Milk 2 pints – £1.20
Coffee 200g – £1.99
Teabags 160 – £1.85
Salted butter 250g – £1.79
Beans 400g tin – 27p
Chicken 300g – £2.65 for 320g / equates to £2.48 for 300g (down from £2.50 for 300g pack)
Mince 500g 20% fat – £2.49
Total: £12.54 (down from £12.56)
Asda
Loaf of white bread 800g – 47p
Milk 2 pints – £1.20
Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) – £2 (up from £1.98)
Teabags 160 (4 x 40-pack) – £1.80
Salted butter 250g – £1.89 (up from £1.79)
Beans 410g tin – 27p
Chicken 300g – £2.65
Mince 500g 20% fat – £2.49
Total: £12.77 (up from £12.65)
