Aldi named UK’s cheapest supermarket in February

Aldi has been named the UK’s cheapest supermarket for February, narrowly beating rival Lidl, according to new research from consumer group Which?.

The analysis, which compares the average cost of a shop consisting of popular groceries, found that Aldi shoppers paid £182.64 on average across the month for a selection of 100 items.

Lidl customers paid slightly more, with a shop costing £184.51 with a Lidl Plus loyalty card or £184.94 without.

For a larger basket of 206 groceries, Asda retained its position as the most affordable option among supermarkets offering a wider selection of branded goods.

An Asda shop cost £512.30 on average, making it £3 cheaper than Tesco’s Clubcard price of £515.30.

Waitrose was found to be the most expensive supermarket, with the smaller shop costing £245.79 – 35% more than Aldi – while the larger shop came to £585.10.

Reena Sewraz, Which? Retail Editor, said: “Our latest monthly analysis once again sees Aldi crowned as the UK’s cheapest supermarket, however, Lidl remains close behind its rival. It was also a good month for Asda, as it held on to the top spot as the cheapest supermarket for a bigger list of groceries.

“With people still feeling the effects of food inflation and with prices forecast to rise again, people are likely looking to cut costs where they can. Our analysis shows that by switching supermarkets consumers could save up to 26 per cent, highlighting the advantages of shopping around where possible.”

Which? includes special offer prices and loyalty discounts in its analysis where applicable but does not factor in multibuy deals.

Loyalty pricing was considered for Lidl, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons, but no items in this month’s analysis qualified for a discount at Waitrose.

The findings suggest that consumers looking to save money on their grocery bills could benefit from shopping around, particularly at discount retailers such as Aldi and Lidl.

Flintshire currently has three Aldi supermarkets, located in Mold, Buckley, and Flint.

There are also plans for a new 20,500 sq ft store at the Airfields site in Garden City, which would add to the discount retailer’s presence in the county.