Aldi has been crowned the cheapest supermarket in the UK for the fourth straight year by consumer champion Which? following a comprehensive analysis of grocery prices across major supermarkets.
The study compared the cost of baskets filled with both branded and own-label items at eight leading retailers, including Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose.
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Throughout 2024, Aldi consistently outperformed its closest competitor, Lidl, with an average monthly price difference of just £1.99.
December witnessed a particularly close race, with Aldi’s basket of 56 items averaging at £100.29, marginally cheaper than Lidl’s £101.56.
Even when accounting for Lidl’s loyalty discounts through Lidl Plus, the price disparity was minimal, amounting to merely £1.19.
Among the larger supermarkets, Tesco customers benefited from the lowest prices when using a Clubcard; their December basket averaged £111.22, which was slightly less than Sainsbury’s basket with Nectar discounts at £112.13.
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By GlobalDataAsda followed closely without any loyalty scheme reductions at £113.22.
Waitrose remained at the higher end of the price spectrum with the same selection of items costing an average of £129.83.
The retailer was named as the most expensive for 11 out of 12 months during the year.
For more extensive shopping lists comprising 158 items, which excluded Aldi and Lidl due to their more limited range of branded goods, Tesco with a Clubcard again offered the most competitive prices at an average of £410.40, just ahead of Sainsbury’s with Nectar at £412.14.
Asda was also found to be the most economical option without loyalty discounts at £415.56.
In contrast, Waitrose’s average stood at £458.12, significantly higher than Tesco’s Clubcard price by £48.
The report from Which? highlighted a resurgence in grocery inflation towards the end of 2024, marking a 3.4% increase in food prices compared to the previous year and ending a 20-month period of stable prices.
The surge in chocolate prices was particularly notable, rising by 13.6% due to suboptimal cocoa yields in West Africa.
Lidl experienced the sharpest inflation among supermarkets at 4% year-on-year, while Waitrose saw the smallest increase at just 0.9%.
