Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury's charge customers more if they visit certain stores

Supermarket chains are hiking prices successful their section stores (Image: Getty)

Major supermarket chains person been accused of hiking their prices successful smaller 'local' shops. An probe allegedly recovered that buying for groceries tin outgo much than 20 percent much successful the chain's convenience shops, erstwhile compared to prices successful their larger stores. 

The probe compared the terms of 42 products successful Tesco Express, Morrisons Daily and ­Sainsbury's Local with the outgo astatine their full-size supermarkets.

It recovered that Morrisons Daily had the biggest terms hikes, with shoppers paying 21 per cent more, 1 average, for produce.   

Consumer Champion Which? found that Sainsbury's and Tesco had little saltation successful prices.  However,  Nectar members could inactive beryllium paying an mean of 14 per cent much astatine Sainsbury's Local. 

Meanwhile, Tesco Clubcard holders were charged 11 per cent more, connected average, astatine Tesco Express - but determination were immoderate overmuch bigger terms variations. 

Morrisons Daily was foudnto person the biggest oprice differences (Image: Getty)

A battalion of six Mr Kipling Bakewell Slices was, for example, £2.32 connected mean astatine Tesco Express, but were £1.50 astatine Tesco supermarkets - a 54% difference.

Meanwhile, a 500g container of own-label fusilli was, astatine 85p, 20p much costly astatine a Sainsbury's Local than astatine a larger Sainsbury's supermarket astatine 65p alternatively of 85p. This was a whopping 31% terms difference, reported the Mail Online.

Other essentials. similar loaves of bread, besides saw terms hikes. A mean achromatic Hovis loaf outgo 14% much astatine Morrisons Daily - and 12% much astatine both Sainsbury's Local and Tesco Express.

Which? Retail exertion Ele Clark suggested these terms hikes could person a large interaction connected shoppers who can't entree transport oregon online deliveries.

Sainsbury's charged 31% much for pasta astatine its section store (Image: Getty)

Ele recognised these stores offered convenience and were utile for radical needing to banal up connected a fewer essentials.

However, the retail adept said that shoppers who relied connected them would beryllium spending importantly much implicit the people of a twelvemonth than those who had entree to larger supermarkets.

Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Tesco had each vowed to connection a broader scope of fund and lower-priced ranges successful their convenience stores arsenic a effect of Which? campaigning.

However, Ele said this probe shows the scope of affordable merchandise options for those consumers who trust connected convenience stores inactive needs to beryllium accrued and improved. 

Tesco Express charged 54% much for Mr Kipling's Bakewell Slices (Image: Getty)

A Sainsbury's spokeswoman said: 'Our Sainsbury's Local stores, which thin to beryllium located successful metropolis oregon municipality centre locations, often person higher operating costs.'

A spokesperson for Morrisons said the store was 'always moving hard to support prices down and competitive' portion 'maintaining precocious standards'.

They added: 'We cognize our customers and concern partners would similar to spot the More Card accepted successful Morrisons Daily stores, truthful we are actively moving connected introducing the connection into our convenience property successful the coming months."

The Express has contacted Tesco for comment.