Yahoo Finance Lidl named UK cheapest supermarket narrowly beating fellow German grocer Aldi
Lidl has narrowly clinched the top spot as the UK’s cheapest supermarket, after beating German rival Aldi by 34p.
According to a Which? survey the two cheap grocers saw a rise in popularity in recent years and continue to chip away at the market share of established rivals. Lidl has around 800 UK stores and Aldi about 900.
This is the first time the consumer group has included Lidl and Aldi in its annual study — which calculates the prices of own-label items as well as branded ones.
The survey tracked 45 own-label and branded products, such as Hovis bread, Knorr stock cubes and free-range eggs in eight major supermarkets for at least 100 days.
Which? calculated the average price of each item over the year, as well as the total average cost of all the items. Lidl’s basket came in at £42.67 ($58.13) and Aldi’s at £43.01.
UK supermarket Asda, came in third spot, but by a margin of over £5 - at £48.71 per basket. Tesco (TSCO.L) was in fourth place at £53.30, then Morrisons (MRW.L) at £53.61, and Sainsbury's (SBRY.L) at £56.38.
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High-end retailer Waitrose was the most expensive supermarket in 2020, with the average cost of the 45 items on Which?’s shopping list at £68.69. This was around 60% (£26.02) more than a similar shop at Lidl.
Ocado (OCDO.L) was not far less cheaper than Waitrose, with a basket coming in at £66.83.
But, while the two German retailers topped the list, one significant advantage the established supermarket brands have is home delivery, which has seen a big rise in demand during COVID-19.
Aldi and Lidl offer a home delivery service in the UK, but the latter has been sending food parcels to vulnerable people during the coronavirus crisis.
Natalie Hitchins, head of home products and services at Which?, said: “Many households have been under financial pressure due to the pandemic, so getting value for money on their weekly shop has become more important than ever. Our analysis shows that customers do not have pay over the odds for their groceries.
“Customers looking to save money this new year and cut down on the cost of their weekly shop should consider shopping around for the best prices.”
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