The German discount retailer offers the best value on the British high street (Image: Yau Ming Low/Getty Images)
Budget supermarket Aldi has been voted sehr gut among savvy shoppers after it was crowned the cheapest retailer in Britain.
The German retailer, which set up in the UK in 1990, is cheapest for a shopping list of 100 items with groceries costing £185.83 on average.
It marks triumph for the chain which has become known for its use of packaging similar to major brands and rivals, a strategy that has led to trademark and copyright infringement claims.
Aldi secured top spot in analysis by consumer champions Which? comparing the average price of a shop at eight of the UK’s biggest supermarkets.
Retail editor Reena Sewraz said: “Our latest monthly analysis once again sees Aldi crowned as the UK’s cheapest supermarket, however, Lidl remains hot on its rival’s heels. Asda has also made up some ground after slipping back in our rankings in recent months.
“With people still feeling the effects of food inflation, they are likely looking to cut costs where they can. Our analysis shows that by switching supermarkets consumers could save up to 23%, highlighting the advantages of shopping around where possible.”
The list of 100 items 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 not multibuys.
Fellow discounter Lidl was close behind Aldi based on prices last month, costing only 76p more with the supermarket’s loyalty scheme Lidl Plus and 79p more without (£186.59/£186.62 on average).
M&S took legal action after its rival produced a Cuthbert cake – and trolled the British institution (Image: PA)
For a bigger shop of 210 items, Asda trumped Tesco with a Clubcard and regained its place as one of the UK’s cheapest supermarkets. Aldi and Lidl are not included in this comparison as they have a smaller range of products compared to the other supermarkets.
Asda came out cheapest at £518.90, beating Tesco with a Clubcard by £10.11 (£529.01). Asda’s return to the top spot for the longer shopping list comes just days after it announced it was dropping its Aldi and Lidl price match scheme.
Waitrose was the most expensive on average with the bigger shop costing £592.34. Waitrose was the most expensive supermarket for a smaller list of items this month too, totalling £242.91 on average – a difference of £57.08 compared to Aldi – 31% more.
One of the most high-profile disputes centred on Aldi’s Cuthbert the Caterpillar cake and Marks & Spencer’s Colin the Caterpillar. M&S accused Aldi of copying its design, but the two retailers eventually reached a settlement. However, Aldi made light of the row on social media, trolling the British high street institution with the hashtag #freecuthbert.
Aldi’s Julie Ashfield said: “This recognition continues Aldi’s remarkable track record of delivering savings to our customers and we’re delighted to have consistently offered top-quality products at the lowest prices across the country.”