According to consumer group Which? Lidl today ended rival Aldi’s sixteen-month run as Britain’s cheapest supermarket for an average shopping basket.
Every month, experts compare the average price of a basket of items in eight supermarkets, with Aldi coming out as the cheapest every month since the summer of last year.
But the 44 secret messages in the study cost an average of £74.58 at Lidl in October – 17p cheaper than at Aldi, where the total was £74.75.
Behind the discount chains was Asda at £82.11, followed by Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, which were about the same at £85.34, £85.88 and £86.35 respectively.
Ocado cost £90.37, while Waitrose was the most expensive with a shopping basket totaling £91.15, which was £16.57 or 22 per cent more than Lidl.
Lidl and Aldi have been gaining market share as the cost of living crisis continues and competition is fierce between the retailers both expanding in the UK.
The consumer group’s monthly analysis compares store average prices for popular groceries at eight supermarkets.
Experts are also looking at a larger trolley with groceries at six stores excluding Lidl and Aldi, because the discount chains do not always have products from major brands in stock.
The larger trolley compares the cost of 135 items: the original 44, plus an additional 91 including branded items such as Andrex toilet paper and Cathedral City cheese.
This month, Asda was the cheapest for this larger trolley at £328.42. This was almost £11 less than its rival Morrisons, which was the second cheapest at £339.40.
This was followed by Ocado at £354.54, Tesco at £358.08 and Sainsbury’s at £364.61. Waitrose was the most expensive at £378.08 – almost £50 more than Asda.
The analysis includes special offer prices, but not multibuys or loyalty discounts such as those offered by Sainsbury’s Nectar and the Tesco Clubcard.
Which? says this is because not all consumers are willing to join loyalty programs, so it is fairer to only include prices that are available to everyone.
Ele Clark, retail editor at Which?, said: ‘As millions continue to struggle with rising food prices and other high household bills, it is no surprise that many are turning to discounters for their grocery shopping.
‘Our latest research has shown that Lidl is the cheapest supermarket for a basket of groceries and is therefore slightly better than Aldi.’
She added: Which one? believes supermarkets can do ‘much more to help shoppers during the current cost of living crisis’.
A customer filling his shopping cart at a Lidl supermarket in North London in January 2021
Ms Clark added: ‘They need to ensure that everyone has easy access to the basic, affordable food range in a store near them – and this includes offering a decent choice of budget-friendly, healthy staples in smaller convenience stores .’
Commenting on the findings, Ryan McDonnell, CEO of Lidl GB, told MailOnline: ‘As we head into the festive season, we remain relentlessly focused on offering the lowest prices on the market.
‘The latest Which? basket shows that we deliver on our price promise and that customers can trust that they are getting the best possible value when they come through our doors.
‘We are seeing more and more new customers coming to us and are now the third largest supermarket in London, as well as the fastest growing supermarket in the whole of Britain.
Lidl today ended rival Aldi’s 16-month run as Britain’s cheapest supermarket (file image)
‘In addition, we are also delighted to have been granted planning permission this week for a new warehouse in Leeds, which will allow us to give even more households access to our high-quality, affordable products in the long term.’
An Aldi spokesperson pointed out that its title as Britain’s cheapest supermarket goes back 16 months in a row.
She told MailOnline today: ‘Our customers know they will make significant savings every time they shop at Aldi.
‘That’s why we’re consistently recognized by Which? as the cheapest supermarket, not only for the past sixteen months in a row, but also for 2022 and 2021.’
And a Waitrose spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘We monitor our prices to provide good value for money, combined with excellent quality, industry-leading animal welfare standards and fantastic customer service.’
Kantar data from last month showed that food price inflation fell for the seventh month in a row
Kantar data on supermarket market share shows Tesco at 27%, followed by Sainsbury’s with 15%
Figures last month showed that food price inflation has fallen for the seventh month in a row, with the average price of a packet of butter now 16 cents less than a year ago.
Prices at British grocers were 11 percent higher than a year ago in the four weeks to October 1, up from 12.2 percent the previous month, analysts Kantar said.
It was the seventh straight fall in price increases since the figure peaked at 17.5 percent in March, giving a boost to families hit by the cost of living crisis.
The latest decline was helped by the proportion of groceries bought on sale rising to 26.5 per cent, the highest since last June. Lidl was the fastest growing retailer with a 15.2 percent increase in sales last quarter, capturing 7.6 percent of the market.
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