The UK’s best and worst supermarkets in 2025 have been revealed by consumer website Which?.
Taking the views of thousands of shoppers, their research looked at satisfaction across a number of criteria to find out the best stores for shopping both in-person and online.
While a recent report from the consumer group showed that Aldi was the cheapest supermarket last year, the German retailer has now been ranked third overall for in-person shopping.
Taking the top spot is M&S, with a customer score of 79 per cent – despite often ranking alongside Waitrose as one of the UK’s more expensive retailers.
Customers felt the store’s value for money was on par with Tesco and Sainsbury’s, also scoring it well for overall customer service and store appearance.
The UK’s largest supermarket, Tesco, ranked second. The British retail giant just fell short of M&S in the customer service category, getting 74 per cent overall. Next was Aldi, Iceland and Waitrose, all scoring 72 per cent.
In joint last were Asda and Morrisons, with poor ratings for staff availability and helpfulness. Several Asda customers said shelves were often bare, and that queues for checkouts were too long. Morrisons shoppers said their local stores were cramped and poorly managed.
Thanks to its ranking, M&S is the only store to be named a Which? recommended provider. Their report notes that the upmarket chain has either frozen or lowered the prices of many of its staples in recent years, bucking the food inflation trend.
The prestigious recommended provider label also requires stores to score well in customer service, value for money, and the quality of their own label and fresh products. Which? also conducts ‘behind-the-scenes’ checks which look at factors like provision of nutritional labelling and reported food safety breaches.
However, no supermarket scored a full five stars for value for money in 2025, with rising prices likely being a key factor shaping shoppers’ views. Food inflation did fall steadily across last year, but latest figures show it may be back on the rise. The rate increased for the first time in 20 months to 3.4 per cent from September to November.
Reena Sewraz, Which? retail editor, said: “Our supermarket survey shows that a good shopping experience and quality products really matter to consumers - and M&S beating its rivals to the top spot shows some shoppers are prepared to pay a bit more for that.
“Aldi, Lidl or Iceland may be the preferred choice for those who prioritise affordability above all else. For people lucky enough to have a choice of supermarkets, mixing and matching to get the right mix of quality and bargain prices might be the right approach.
“Not everyone has a choice about where they can buy their groceries, which is why it’s important that supermarkets do all they can to ensure their lowest prices are available to all.
“For supermarkets that have loyalty schemes, this includes ensuring as many customers as possible are able to access the lower prices they offer without being excluded by age, address or digital access requirements.”
