Sainsbury’s is cheapest supermarket

SAINSBURY’S has been declared Britain’s cheapest major supermarket, beating Asda into second place.

Consumer rights group Which? analysed store prices for 53 branded items sold at the “Big Six” supermarkets in 2019.

Supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl, which pride themselves on value for money, were not included in the poll.

Sainsbury’s, which has 15 per cent of the grocery market and 1,400 shops, charged a monthly average of £107.01 for the trolley of goods, compared to Asda’s £107.65.

Morrisons – last year’s cheapest – charged £109.13, while Britain’s biggest supermarketTesco asked £112.40.

Fifth in the league table was Ocado, the online supermarket, where the basket cost £116.40. Sainsbury’s, in third place last year, asked a full £10 less for the selection than sixthplaced Waitrose’s £117.81.

Yesterday’s survey comes against a backdrop of fierce price competition.

Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: “Our analysis shows how important it can be to shop around.

“Your weekly supermarket shop can have a significant impact on your wallet. The start of a new year is a good time to look at your household spending to see if there are areas where you can save money.”

Which? compared prices of a range of items, including bread, cheese, cleaning products, pet food and soft drinks, as well as branded goods such as Weetabix and Knorr stock cubes.

Because Which? only looked at web prices, the survey results were limited to stores which sold the items online.

Paul Mills-Hicks, Sainsbury’s commercial director, said yesterday: “We focus on giving our customer quality products at great value.

“This is part of our commitment to make sure that millions of Sainsbury’s customers can really live well for less.”