Poorest struggle as prices rise
Cost of Living Campaign - Price Watch
EXCLUSIVE NATIONALWORLD research reveals poorest shoppers are being hit hard by steep price rises on basic range food products as inflation bites across the UK.
Supermarkets imposed price rises on almost 100 basic range groceries in July as the cost of living crisis continued to deepen with a fifth of them becoming more expensive for at least the second month running.
NationalWorld has been tracking the price of value range items at five major UK supermarkets since April,
Between July 4 and August 2 we recorded 97 price increases at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda and Aldi across almost one in six of products we gathered price information for during that time.
Only 27 products came down in price during the same period.
Since April more than half of the value range items on offer across the five supermarkets have become more expensive - 307 of 569 products (54 per cent) with prices displayed online in both months.
Average price rise for products saw increases of 15.1 per cent across the five-month period. But 20 items have risen by at least a third (33 per cent) with two products actually doubling in price.
Supermarkets imposed 102 price rises between April and May, 175 between May and June, 138 between June and July.
Our research covers the value ranges at each supermarket.
At Asda these are the Smart Price and Farm Stores brands, currently being replaced with a new range called Just Essentials.
Aldi meanwhile has an Everyday Essentials line – although many products that are not part of this specific range have a price point similar to budget line items at other supermarkets – while Morrisons is home to Morrisons Savers.
Tesco and Sainsbury’s both ditched their value lines in recent years, replacing them with a collection of in-house brands in an effort to keep up with German rivals Aldi and Lidl.
At Tesco these include Ms Molly’s confectionery and treats, Stockwell & Co food cupboard essentials and Creamfields dairy products.
Sainsbury’s meanwhile
boasts Hubbard Foodstores stock cupboard essentials, J James and Family fresh and frozen meat and fish and Stamford Street chilled products such as ready meals, among others.
An Asda spokesperson said: “We are doing all we can to limit the impact of inflation for our customers, including launching our new value range Just Essentials, which offers more than 300 products at budget prices, along with Dropping & Locking price of over 100 family favourites and keeping them the same price until the end of the year.
“We’re proud to have been recognised as the best value supermarket in independent research carried out by the Grocer and Which? magazines.”
An Aldi spokesperson said: “We are the lowest priced supermarket in Britain and our customers always pay less for their shop with Aldi, which is why we were named as the cheapest supermarket in July by consumer champion Which?.
“Value is the number one consideration for most households as they wrestle with rising costs and our promise to our customers is that we will always provide the lowest grocery prices in Britain.”
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “With costs going up, we are working hard to keep prices low. We are investing over half a billion pounds to ensure the items people buy most often are on the shelves at the best prices and we are confident our Sainsbury’s Quality, Aldi
Price Match campaign and Price Lock promise are making a big difference to our customers.
“Our latest financial results show that we are putting up prices at a slower rate than our competitors and focus on offering customers the best quality and value food. The bold steps we are taking to focus on value means all our customers will find great deals when they shop with us and do not need to go anywhere else to get the best prices on their weekly shop.”
Morrisons and Tesco declined to comment.
Full breakdown and video available at NationalWorld. com dedicated Cost of Living section.
Our highlights the impact of rising bills on our readers
Average product price increase over 5 months –