THE UK’s cheapest supermarket for April has been crowned – and it could save you up to £39 on a weekly shop the next time you go.
Aldi was named the cheapest supermarket for a smaller shop by consumer champion Which?.
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The experts compare the cost of popular items from eight chains every month.
Aldi charged £69.99 on average in April for a basket of 39 grocery items.
This is £17.34 cheaper than the most expensive store on the list, Waitrose, which charged £87.33 for the same basket of items.
Lidl placed behind Aldi with a difference of 65p (£70.64), widening the gap from last month which was just a 25p difference.
Below are the results for the smaller basket:
- Aldi – £69.99
- Lidl – £70.64
- Sainsbury’s – £76.85
- Asda – £77.92
- Tesco – £78.09
- Morrisons – £81.46
- Ocado – £83.69
- Waitrose – £87.33
Which? also compared the cost of a larger trolley of 135 items – the original 39, plus 96 more.
This included some well-known brands too such as Andrex and Cathedral cheese.
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However, this list didn’t include Aldi and Lidl because they don’t stock the full range of branded products like the others do.
Asda was yet again the cheapest for this larger trolley of groceries – a title it’s held since January 2020.
In April it cost £343.46 for this shop, widening the gap between Asda and the next cheapest, Sainsbury’s (£353.96), which was £10.50 more.
Waitrose was £38.76 more expensive than Asda, coming in at £382.22, on average.
Here’s how the prices at the supermarkets varied:
- Asda – £343.46
- Sainsbury’s – £353.96
- Morrisons – £355.84
- Tesco – £365.77
- Ocado – £374.53
- Waitrose – £382.22
Ele Clark, Which? retail editor, said: “It’s no surprise to see many people turning to discounters like Aldi and Lidl when our research shows they could save up to £17 on a basket of everyday groceries by doing so.
“Supermarkets aren’t currently doing enough to help shoppers.
“Which? believes the big retailers have a responsibility to ensure everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food ranges at a store near them, and to provide transparent and comparable pricing so people can easily work out which products offer the best value.”
A Waitrose spokesperson told The Sun: “We’re determined to keep prices down, and have committed a record £100million to lower the prices of hundreds of everyday products for our customers.
“Our customers know by shopping with us, they can trust our sustainability credentials, and choose from a fantastic range at outstanding value and quality, while we deliver industry-leading animal welfare standards, fresh produce grown with care and paying sustainable rates to our farmers.”
Ways to save on food bills
You should always look for ways to save on your supermarket weekly shop, regardless of where you go.
For example, there are cheap food clubs run by local community groups or charities floating around.
They’re different to food banks because you don’t need to be referred by anyone to join one.
These clubs link up with local supermarkets, who donate food nearing their sell-by date.
They are usually run from public places, such as church halls.
There are also food waste apps to make use of.
The Too Good To Go app, for instance, matches you with local food outlets that have food left at the end of the day to sell for less.
You pay from £1 to £7 for a “magic” bag or box from a local business that contains a surprise mix of products.
Morrisons does a “Magic box’”, which usually costs around £3.09 and will contain at least £10 worth of food.
And don’t forget to check weekly offers – you’ll find new Specialbuy deals at Aldi every Thursday and Sunday which has deals on popular items you won’t want to miss.
