Call for supermarkets to act on food prices

Shoppers who regularly buy groceries from Tesco and Sainsbury's convenience stores instead of their bigger supermarkets are likely to pay hundreds of pounds more, according to a study.

Consumer group Which? says people buying the same 75 items at Tesco Express would be spending an extra £15.73 on average a week than those shopping online or at a larger Tesco store – £817.91 a year.

A comparison of 69 grocery items at Sainsbury's revealed that customers using a Sainsbury's Local instead of shopping online or going to a larger store would spend an extra £477.93 over the year.

Sue Davies, head of food policy at Which?, said: "Convenience stores offer a local lifeline for some shoppers, but our research shows shopping at a supermarket convenience shop rather than a bigger store comes at a cost, at a time when soaring grocery prices are putting huge pressure on households.

"The big supermarkets have the ability to take action and make a real difference to people who are struggling and are calling on them to ensure everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food lines at a store near them.”

A Sainsbury's spokeswoman said: "There may be price differences between convenience stores and supermarkets. This is because our Sainsbury's Local stores have higher operating costs.”

A Tesco spokesman said: "We work hard to ensure our customers get great value at Tesco, whether they shop with us online, in a large store or in an Express store.

"Our Express stores offer a range of extremely competitive own-brand products .”