Lidl today ended rival Aldi‘s 16-month run as Britain’s cheapest supermarket for an average basket of groceries, according to consumer group Which?.
Experts compare the average price of a basket of items at eight supermarkets each month, with Aldi coming out cheapest every month since summer last year.
But the 44 undisclosed groceries in the research cost an average of £74.58 at Lidl across the month of October – 17p cheaper than 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 roughly the same at £85.34, £85.88 and £86.35 respectively.
Ocado was £90.37 while Waitrose was the most expensive with a basket of groceries totalling £91.15 on average, 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 drags on and competition is fierce between the retailers which are both expanding across the UK.
The consumer group’s monthly analysis compares the average prices of a shop for popular groceries at eight supermarkets.
Experts also look at a larger trolley of groceries at six stores excluding Lidl and Aldi, because the discount chains do not always stock big brand products.
The larger trolley compares the cost of 135 items – the original 44, plus 91 more 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 nearly £11 less than its rival Morrisons, which was the next cheapest at £339.40.
Following behind was Ocado at £354.54, Tesco at £358.08 and Sainsbury’s at £364.61. Waitrose was most expensive at £378.08 – nearly £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 that this is because not all shoppers are prepared to sign up to loyalty schemes, and therefore it is fairer only to include prices available to all.
Ele Clark, retail editor at Which?, said: ‘As millions continue to struggle with increased food prices and other high household bills, it is no surprise that many are turning to discounters for their food shop.
‘Our latest research has found Lidl is the cheapest supermarket for a basket of groceries, narrowly beating Aldi.’
She added that Which? believes that supermarkets ‘can do much more to help shoppers during the current cost of living crisis’.
A shopper filling up their trolley at a Lidl supermarket in north London in January 2021
Ms Clark added: ‘They must ensure everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food ranges at a store near them – and this includes providing a decent choice of budget-range, healthy essentials in smaller convenience stores.’
Reacting to the findings, Lidl GB chief executive Ryan McDonnell told MailOnline: ‘As we head into the festive season, we remain relentlessly focused on offering the lowest prices in the market.
‘The latest Which? basket demonstrates that we’re delivering on our price promise and that customers can be confident they are getting the best value possible when they walk through our doors.
‘We are seeing growing numbers of new customers coming to us and are now the third biggest supermarket in London, as well as the fastest growing supermarket in the whole of the UK.
Lidl today ended its rival Aldi ‘s 16-month run as Britain’s cheapest supermarket (file image)
‘On top of this, we are also delighted to have secured planning permission for a new warehouse in Leeds this week, meaning we’ll be able to give even more households access to our high-quality affordable products in the long term.’
An Aldi spokesman pointed out that its crown as Britain’s cheapest supermarket went back beyond the 16 months in a row.
She told MailOnline today: ‘Our customers know that they make significant savings every time they shop at Aldi.
‘That’s why we have consistently been recognised by Which? as the cheapest supermarket, not just for the past 16 consecutive months, but for 2022 and 2021 as well.’
And a Waitrose spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We monitor our prices to provide great value combined with excellent quality, industry-leading animal welfare standards and fantastic customer service.’
Data from Kantar last month revealed grocery price inflation fell for the seventh month in a row
Kantar data on grocery market share shows Tesco is at 27%, followed by Sainsbury’s at 15%
Last month figures revealed grocery price inflation fell for the seventh month in a row, with the average price of a pack of butter now 16p less than a year ago.
Prices across UK grocers were 11 per cent higher than a year ago for the four weeks to October 1, down from the previous month’s 12.2 per cent, analysts Kantar said.
It was the seventh consecutive decline in the price rises rate since the figure peaked at 17.5 per cent in March, handing a boost to families hit by the cost of living crisis.
The latest fall was helped by the proportion of groceries bought on offer increasing to 26.5 per cent, the highest since last June. Lidl was the fastest growing retailer with sales up by 15.2 per cent over the quarter to take 7.6 per cent of the market.
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