Lidl has been named the UK's cheapest supermarket for a basket of eight essential groceries, priced at less than £13. The discounter has held the top spot consistently since the end of August.
Price comparison results
The comparison, carried out by the Manchester Evening News, looked at prices across six major supermarkets. The essential shopping list included a loaf of white bread, two pints of milk, 250g of salted butter, a tin of baked beans, 300g of chicken, 500g of minced beef, 200g of instant coffee, and between 160 and 240 tea bags.
Lidl's basket came to £12.97, which included the largest pack of tea bags at 240. Asda came in second at £13.03, with Aldi slightly behind at £13.09. Morrisons remained in fourth place at £13.17, while Sainsbury's was fifth at £13.33. Tesco was the most expensive for an eleventh consecutive week, at £13.36.
Retailers respond
Aldi fell to third place behind Asda after adding 10p to the price of its cheapest pack of beef mince since last week. Sainsbury's also raised its price as part of its price match scheme.
The comparison took into account the cheapest products available at each supermarket, including Asda's Just Essentials, Morrisons' Savers, Tesco's Stockwell products and Sainsbury's Stamford Street range.
Sainsbury's said the "review of a limited number of products does not reflect the fantastic value" customers will find in store and said it is "committed to offering customers great choice and value when they shop with us". Morrisons said it "remains committed to providing good, honest value" and was "working hard to keep prices down and competitive so customers can spend less while still enjoying the quality Morrisons is famous for".
Claims of quality differences
An Aldi spokesperson pointed out that it has been named the Cheapest Supermarket of the Year for five years running by Which?. It argued that the products are not like-for-like, saying its Diplomat Red Label tea bags and its coffee are of "higher quality" than the comparative products, and its beans were heavier than some of the other retailers'.
Asda said that surveys consistently recognised the grocer as the best-value full-range supermarket, with low prices available to all, including on brands that "aren't available in limited-range discounters".
