THE UK’s cheapest supermarket for 2024 has been named – and it could save you £393 a year.
Consumer group Which? compared the price of thousands of products from eight supermarkets for a year.
Aldi has beaten rivals Lidl and Asda to be named the cheapest supermarket of 2024, Which? said.
The budget supermarket beat rivals for all 12 months of the year.
The research found that shoppers who stocked up at the discounter would have saved £393 a year compared to the most expensive alternative.
The results for December showed that a shopping list of 56 groceries cost £100.29 on average at Aldi.
Lidl was just behind, as it was for every month last year.
A shop cost £101.48 at the supermarket with its loyalty scheme – making it £1.19 more expensive than Aldi.
Those who have not yet signed up to Lidl Plus would pay £101.56 for the same groceries, £1.27 more than Aldi.
Meanwhile, Waitrose was the most expensive supermarket every month of the past year.
Filling up your trolley at the supermarket in December would have set you back £129.83 – £29.54 more than at Aldi.
The list included both branded and own-brand items such as Birds Eye Peas, Hovis bread, milk and butter.
The analysis included special offer prices and loyalty prices where applicable but did not take into account multibuys.
Which? said as there are restrictions on who can access loyalty prices, it will only endorse the supermarket which has the lowest prices which are available to all customers.
Which? also compared the cost of a larger trolley of more than 150 items every month.
This took into account a larger number of branded items and did not include discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl as they do not always stock some of these products.
Asda was the cheapest supermarket for a larger trolley for nine months of the year.
It faced strong competition from Tesco Clubcard prices, which made Tesco cheaper in three out of seven months since Which? began including loyalty prices in its analysis from June 2024.
Tesco was the cheapest on average in December but only if shoppers had a Clubcard.
A trolley of 158 items cost £410.40, beating rivals Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda.
At Sainsbury’s the same trolley of goods would have set you back £412.14 if you had a Nectar card.
Meanwhile, it would have cost £414.06 at Morrisons for shoppers with a More Card.
Asda came fourth in December, with the same list of items costing £415.56.
Waitrose was the most expensive supermarket for a larger trolley of items every month in 2024 apart from September.
The same shopping list would have set you back £458.12 on average at the upmarket supermarket.
Which? said its pricing analysis demonstrates that shoppers can make considerable savings on their groceries depending on where they buy their food.
Harry Rose, Editor of Which? magazine, said: “Our research shows Aldi has retained its crown as the UK’s cheapest supermarket in 2024.
“A shopper would have saved £393 on average, over the course of a year by choosing to shop at the German discounter rather than the most expensive alternative.
“After the added expense of the festive period, many households will be looking to cut costs.
“Our analysis shows that by switching supermarkets, shoppers can make significant savings, highlighting the advantages of shopping around where possible.”
Even if you already shop at Aldi you can still lower your grocery bills.
Always make a list before you head out shopping and make sure to stick to it to avoid impulse purchases.
You could also try “downshifting” which is when you swap out branded items for own-brand ones.
Avoid items which are labelled as “finest” or “luxury” as these typically cost more.
Keep an eye out for items labelled as “value” or “essential”.
Compare items by looking at their unit cost.
This ensures that you are comparing the price of like-for-like items.
Pay attention to the quantities you are buying.
Some items have stayed the same price through the years while others have reduced in size due to shrinkflation.
You may also be able to save money by opting for wonky vegetables.
This is produce which is still fresh and safe to eat but may be misshapen or imperfect.
You could also buy frozen fruit and vegetables as they are often cheaper than buying fresh and will not go off.
Register for a supermarket’s loyalty programme to save money on your shop.
For example, Tesco has its Clubcard scheme while at Morrisons there is the More Card.
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