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Manchester Evening News

Business

Emma Gill

The major supermarket that's cheaper than Aldi and Lidl for a £20 shop

Aldi Lidl Asda Fish Which

As shoppers continue to be hit by the cost of living crisis, customers are changing their habits at the supermarket. Whether it's seeking out those offers, or hunting for the yellow stickers, people are doing all they can to try to keep costs down.

But it's not just shoppers making changes, supermarkets themselves are fighting it out to get as much custom as they can. And while we hear a lot about budget retailers Aldi and Lidl, they're not necessarily always the cheapest.

Over recent weeks we've been looking across all the supermarkets to get an overview of the prices and deals they offer. From Clubcard and bulk buy deals at Tesco, to Morrisons' Savers range and Sainsbury's Aldi Price Match scheme, there are savings to be made at each one.

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But it seems that the one really putting Aldi and Lidl to shame is Asda. I bought a number of items from all three to show how it isn't always the budget stores offering the lowest prices.

The cost of all 13 items at Asda cost a total of £21.16, compared with Aldi's £22.16 and Lidl's £22.54. Asda came out cheapest for butter, fish fingers, orange squash, cheddar cheese, corned beef, mini savoury eggs and a whole chicken.

Our shopping from Lidl (Manchester Family / MEN)

For another three items, each of the supermarkets had exactly the same prices - 59p for a tin of tuna, £1.29 for 15 eggs and £1.93 for a pack of six toilet rolls.

Aldi says the comparison is 'wholly misleading' as the products aren't like for like. It says Asda's value butter, squash and corned beef for instance are 'inferior' products to compared to its 'standard tier' products.

With the scotch eggs, its says the Aldi pack includes 18, whereas Asda's has 12, however the weight of both is the same - 216g - so I guess it depends how you like your portions as to which you'd prefer.

A number of factors appear to be behind Asda's success in the shopping stakes. Its Smart Price range, which is in the process of changing over to a new Just Essentials range, is well-known for its low cost products.

Asda's shop worked out cheapest (Manchester Family / MEN)

There are savings to be made with its Roll Back prices, and recently the retailer announced new two promotions. Dropped & Locked has seen the price of more than 100 products reduced until the end of the year, and last week it announced a price match with Home Bargains.

Don't get me wrong, there are still lots of products where Aldi and Lidl beat Asda and the other main supermarkets hands down. But perhaps they've been too focused on competing with each other to see that one of the big boys is getting ahead of the game.

A spokesperson for Asda said: "’We know how much the cost of living is worrying our customers right now and we’re doing everything we can to keep prices as low as possible on their shopping, which is why we are the best value of the supermarkets in this survey and other independent research carried out by the Grocer and Which? magazines.

"This month we are expanding our best value range to create Just Essentials by Asda, meaning customers will be able to choose from a selection of more than 300 everyday products on the tightest budget – and when coupled with our Dropped & Locked price promise means that they can make their money go further as Asda.’’

A spokesperson for Aldi said: “Basket comparisons like this that don’t compare like-for-like products can be wholly misleading.
Other reputable price surveys always find Aldi to be significantly cheaper than any of the Big Four supermarkets.

“Our customers make significant savings every time they shop with us which is why we were named 2021 Cheapest Supermarket of the Year by consumer champion Which?.”

We have approached Lidl for a comment.