Tesco has surpassed Asda, becoming the UK’s most cost-effective supermarket for a substantial grocery shop, as per recent findings.
In a recent analysis conducted by Which?, Tesco emerged as the cheapest place for a large purchase of 159 items, marking its first price advantage over Asda since June. With the benefit of Tesco’s Clubcard discounts, customers spent £399.73, while Asda’s comparable basket cost £409.36, a difference of £9.63. However, without the Clubcard savings, the same selection at Tesco would have amounted to £441.14, significantly higher than the Clubcard price.
In comparison, Sainsbury’s stood as the third most affordable option with its Nectar prices at £410.52. This was followed by Morrisons and Ocado, at £421.52 and £432.74 respectively, when customer-focused discount cards were utilised. Notably, without the benefit of these cards, Morrisons’ prices edged slightly over Ocado by £2.53, with Sainsbury’s reaching £447.64. Waitrose was identified as the priciest, where the basket totalled £452.09.
Beyond larger shops, the cost analysis extended to 55 frequently purchased branded and own-branded groceries across major UK retailers, including Aldi and Lidl. These discounters consistently priced as the most economical for a smaller shopping list. Aldi was the frontrunner in November, with a total cost of £97.89 for the surveyed items, closely shadowed by Lidl at £98.27 when taking advantage of Lidl Plus savings, and only 7p more without such deals.
For Tesco, the smaller shop with Clubcard advantages came to £105.61, slightly cheaper than Sainsbury’s, which required £106.71 with a Nectar card. Promotional pricing played a major role as Sainsbury’s and Tesco offered special rates on several items, whereas Morrisons provided six More card discounts. Ocado and Waitrose maintained their status among the highest priced, at £116.75 and £123.32 respectively.
Recent evaluations highlight the varying costs among UK supermarkets, with Tesco and discounters like Aldi leading in affordability for different shopping scenarios.
