UK's cheapest supermarket for 76 essentials revealed as Aldi LOSES top spot after 20 months
The latest analysis from Which? had crowned the discounter the cheapest for the past 20 months.
1
The research compares the average price of a shop consisting of popular groceries at eight of the UK's biggest supermarkets.
In July, Lidl was crowned the cheapest supermarket, where the groceries cost £128.40 on average across the month.
Members of its loyalty scheme Lidl Plus could save a further 40p.
Meanwhile, Aldi was 85p more expensive at £129.25 on average.
The list of 76 items included both branded and own-brand items, such as Birds Eye peas, Hovis bread, milk and butter.
The analysis includes special offer prices and loyalty prices where applicable, but not multibuys.
Meanwhile, Tesco Clubcard members would have paid £141.92 on average which is £13.92 more than at Lidl with a loyalty card, while without a Clubcard, the Tesco shop cost £145.10.
For those using a Sainsbury's Nectar card, July's shopping list of items averaged £144.21.
Without a Nectar card, the same items at Sainsbury's cost £149.55.
Five tips to feed your family for less and save on your supermarket shop
Over the same month, Asda retained its place as one of the UK's cheapest supermarkets for the longer list of 192 items at £474.12.
It was cheaper than Tesco with a Clubcard by £7.47 (£481.59).
Waitrose was the most expensive on average, with the bigger shop costing £538.33 - a difference of £64.21 compared to Asda.
Waitrose was also the most expensive supermarket for a smaller list of items this month, totalling £170.91 on average.
That's a difference of £42.51 compared to Lidl (with a loyalty card).
Aldi and Lidl are not included in the comparison of the bigger list as they have a smaller range of products.
Reena Sewraz, Which? retail editor, said: 'Lidl has bagged the top spot as the UK's cheapest supermarket for the first time in 20 months, according to our latest price analysis, showing that it can beat Aldi even without loyalty prices.
'The bigger trolley of groceries shows that Asda continues to be the cheapest non-discounter supermarket - beating membership prices at Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons.
'Households are still contending with high food prices but our analysis shows it pays to shop around, simply choosing one supermarket over another could save you 25%.'
A Waitrose spokesperson said: "Our customers know that there's more to great value than just price, and we combine excellent quality, industry-leading animal welfare standards and fantastic customer service."
The Sun also contacted Aldi for comment.
How to save money on your food shop
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year:
Odd boxes - plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price.
Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30.
Sainsbury's also sells £2 "Taste Me, Don't Waste Me" fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash.
Food waste apps - food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public.
Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio.
Too Good to Go's app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount.
Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses.
Yellow sticker bargains - yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap.
But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here.
Super cheap bargains - sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they've found on the cheap, including food finds.
"Downshift" - you will almost always save money going for a supermarket's own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands.
The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as "downshifting" and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
Alaska Airlines to launch nonstop flights from Seattle to London and Reykjavik
Alaska Airlines is set to launch two nonstop routes from Seattle to London Heathrow and Reykjavik, Iceland. The new routes mark the fourth and fifth of at least 12 intercontinental destinations that the carrier says it will serve from its hometown airport of Seattle by 2030. Flights to London and Reykjavik are scheduled to begin in spring 2026, with the nine-and-a-half-hour Dreamliner-operated London service putting the carrier in direct competition with British Airways, Delta and Virgin Atlantic, which typically charge between $250 and $550 for direct one-way tickets. Alaska, however, is yet to reveal prices, but said tickets will be bookable from this fall. The seven-and-a-half-hour Seattle-Reykjavik service, meanwhile, will operate during the summer season using 737-8 Max aircraft, which Alaska Airlines said are "designed for this type of long-range flying". Currently, only Icelandair offers nonstop Seattle-Reykjavik flights, for around $500 one-way. WestJet, Delta and Air Canada all operate stopover services to the Icelandic capital. Alaska said in a statement: "We'll offer daily, year-round services to the British capital — one of the most sought-after international destinations and business markets — on our widebody 787-9 aircraft, featuring 34 enclosed suites with fully lie-flat seats in business class. "London is the largest intercontinental market from Seattle, with more than 400 passengers traveling between the two vibrant cities every day." The London service will be operated by Dreamliners sporting a new green livery inspired by the Northern Lights. Ben Minicucci, Alaska Airlines CEO, said: "With these bold moves, we are accelerating our vision to connect our guests to the world. 'We are seizing this moment to redefine the international experience and level up."
BBC News
28 minutes ago
- BBC News
Canalside development project completed at Staveley's canal basin
A Derbyshire town is looking for businesses to move in after the opening of a new two-storey canalside Moorings building is part of the Staveley Town Deal, a £25m regeneration programme aided by funding from central government that began last year.A total of £3.5m of the £4.5m cost was provided by the fund, with the remaining £1m covered by Derbyshire County authority said it expected the new site "to create between 40 and 60 new jobs". This building is part of the an 85-hectare business park based on the site of the old Markham Colliery, with the regeneration project also hoping to attract visitors to Chesterfield Canal and the surrounding Reaney, county council cabinet member for economic development and regeneration, said the Moorings "will be a fantastic waterside destination for both local people and visitors to enjoy"."We're inviting contact from retail, dining and other businesses looking to relocate or expand into this purpose-built space, and we've already received considerable interest from a number of potential tenants," he said.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Middle-income workers shoulder biggest tax burden increase
Middle-class workers are shouldering the biggest increase in the tax burden thanks to a stealth raid on thresholds, analysis suggests. The share of income tax paid by those who earn between £43,000 and £61,900 rose from 15.1pc to 17pc between 2021-22 and 2025-26, according to the TaxPayers' Alliance. During the same five-year period, the share of income tax paid by the top 1pc, those earning more than £201,000 a year, fell from 30.7pc to 26.6pc, the pressure group found. It comes as Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces a £50bn black hole in the public finances and declining tax revenue as high-net-worth individuals look to move abroad. Analysis by the Financial Times this month revealed there had been a 40pc rise in directors moving abroad since Labour's autumn Budget. The Taxpayers' Alliance report found the proportion of total income tax receipts increased for every group except for the top 1pc of earners, thanks to a series of stealth taxes first introduced by the Conservatives. Income tax thresholds, including the £12,570 tax-free 'personal allowance', were frozen at the 2021 budget by then chancellor Rishi Sunak until 2025-26. A year later, his successor, Jeremy Hunt, extended the freeze until 2027-28. Despite promising not to raise taxes on working people, Sir Keir Starmer has not ruled out extending the freeze further to 2029-30. Keeping thresholds frozen means earners lose a larger share of their incomes to tax, as inflation pushes up wages in a process known as fiscal drag. The stealth raid means almost 2.9 million more people will pay the basic rate of income tax in 2025-26 than in 2021-22, while over 2.6 million more will pay the higher rate. Including other rates, almost 6 million more people are forecast to be paying income tax than in 2021-22. John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'This is the sad but inevitable result of successive governments' assortment of anti-affluence tax policies, which penalise aspiration and success. 'The UK is now trapped in a doom loop with the Chancellor desperately scrabbling around for more cash to fill the fiscal black hole and increasingly finding her only option is to come after the middle classes. 'Rachel Reeves needs to now show some humility and reverse the policies that have done so much to drive away high earners.' The respected National Institute of Economic and Social Research on Tuesday warned slowing economic growth, a weak jobs market and Labour's failure to commit to welfare reform meant Ms Reeves was on course to miss her borrowing targets by £41.2bn. When combined with the £9.9bn of headroom the Chancellor has committed to keeping, it means she is facing a £51.1bn deficit in the autumn that will either have to be solved by raising taxes or cutting spending. The study also underlined the importance for the Treasury's balance sheet to keep the highest earners in Britain. Despite the proportion of tax paid by the top 1pc of earners falling, the group still accounts for more than a quarter of all income tax receipts. Analysis of Companies House by the Financial Times found that 3,790 company directors had left Britain between October and July compared with 2,712 in the same period a year earlier. Significant names have included Richard Gnodde, Goldman Sachs ' most senior banker outside the US, Nassef Sawiris, the Aston Villa co-owner, and British property tycoon brothers Ian and Richard Livingstone. It comes after Labour launched a wide-ranging tax raid after coming to power last year. This included abolishing the non-dom status and tightening inheritance tax rules. Laura Suter, of AJ Bell, said: 'Government tax policy in the past few years has had the dual outcome of pushing some of the wealthiest to leave the UK and also landing more taxpayers with higher tax bills at the same time. 'Together, this means that an increasing proportion of the total tax bill of the country is paid by middle earners, rather than the super-rich. 'Looking ahead, any potential tax-raising measures that Rachel Reeves makes in her next Budget could exacerbate this dynamic further.' Trevor Williams, a former chief economist at Lloyds Bank, previously warned Britain was facing a millionaires' exodus. Mr Williams said: 'Since 2014, the number of resident millionaires in the UK dropped by 9pc compared with the world's 10 wealthiest countries' global average growth of more than 40pc. 'Over the same period, the US saw a 78pc increase in millionaires – the fastest wealth growth [among these countries].' The Treasury insisted that under its Plan for Change it would keep more money in people's pockets. A spokesman said: 'This government inherited the previous government's policy of frozen tax thresholds. At the Budget and the Spring Statement, the Chancellor announced that we would not extend that freeze. 'We are also protecting payslips for working people by keeping our promise to not raise the basic, higher or additional rates of income tax, employee National Insurance or VAT. That's the Plan for Change – protecting people's incomes and putting money into people's pockets.'
