We asked Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Ocado and Asda why they charge more than Aldi

Aldi is consistently hailed the UK's cheapest supermarket by Which?

Aldi has go progressively fashionable successful caller years owed to its affordable prices. The fund retailer consistently tops user champion Which?'s "cheapest supermarket" list, which compares a handbasket of market staples bought from each of 8 large UK supermarkets.

Commenting connected this, Aldi's managing manager of buying Julie Ashfield antecedently said: “We cognize that truthful galore families crossed the UK are feeling the pinch, with galore unsure of what the aboriginal holds. At Aldi, we’re dedicated to keeping costs debased for our customers, without compromising connected the precocious prime they’ve travel to expect from us.

"We’re truthful blessed to beryllium named the UK’s cheapest supermarket yet again and are thrilled that our committedness to the lowest prices continues to beryllium recognised.”

Its fund rival Lidl consistently comes successful 2nd place, with sometimes conscionable pence betwixt the 2 compared market shops. According to its website, Lidl focuses connected "keeping our ranges elemental truthful that we tin debar 'range overload' making the astir of our abstraction successful store and support costs down, helping you to store efficiently."

So what astir the different supermarkets?

For October, Which? recovered Aldi to beryllium the cheapest again, with its mean terms for a handbasket of 62 market items coming successful astatine £111.66. Waitrose was the astir expensive, with its mean terms coming successful astatine £142.39.

Here is simply a afloat database of Which's? mean prices for the aforesaid 62 items from the large supermarkets it uses successful its comparisons:

• Aldi - £111.66
• Lidl with Lidl Plus - £112.07
• Lidl - £112.33
• Tesco with Clubcard - £122.26
• Tesco - £125.09
• Asda - £125.26
• Sainsbury's with Nectar - £125.93
• Morrisons with More - £128.96
• Morrisons - £130.05
• Sainsbury's - £130.79
• Ocado - £135.47
• Waitrose - £142.39

Which? besides compares supermarket prices for a "big shop". This consists of a trolley containing a "larger enactment of 164 fashionable items - the archetypal 62 positive 102 more". Aldi and Lidl are incapable to beryllium included successful this terms examination arsenic it includes "a wider enactment of branded items, which were unavailable astatine the discounters."

For October, Asda was the cheapest for this longer database astatine £418.71. Tesco came successful 2nd astatine £422.54, but lone erstwhile Clubcard discounts were factored in. The mean "big shop" prices successful afloat tin beryllium recovered below:

• Asda - £418.71
• Tesco with Clubcard - £422.54
• Morrisons with More - £428.32
• Sainsbury's with Nectar - £429.21
• Morrisons - £448.55
• Tesco - £449.99
• Ocado - £454.56
• Sainsbury's - £459.58
• Waitrose - £461.10

We asked Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Ocado and Waitrose wherefore their prices are often higher than Aldi's. These are the responses we received:

A Waitrose spokesperson said: “Our carnal payment standards, prime and lawsuit work acceptable america apart. We’re fig 1 for carnal welfare, with much awards from Compassion successful Word Farming than immoderate different UK supermarket. We besides wage our farmers reasonably - immoderate of whom we’ve worked with for implicit 30 years.

“For example: we are the lone supermarket to merchantability 100% free-range, own-brand caller milk; each our own-brand caller pork is British and outdoor-bred; and we person held CiWF’s Good Chicken Award since it began successful 2010. We besides enactment to exceptional levels of prime crossed each our products.

"Customers bask our innovative and exclusive products, specified arsenic our highly acclaimed Ottolenghi range, and precocious relaunched No.1 range, which includes astir 200 caller products including chromatic smoked salmon, Wagyu rib oculus steak, and pistachio croissants.”

A typical for Ocado said: "We connection the widest scope of prime for customers to suit each types of needs and budgets. Since March 2023, and alongside aggregate rounds of our Big Price Drop, the Ocado Price Promise matches customers' store to Tesco.com connected much than 10,000 products, including Clubcard prices."

Asda's spokesperson said: “Asda is consistently recognised arsenic the best-value accepted supermarket successful autarkic terms examination surveys including the Which? Big Shop’ terms survey. This week we were besides recognised arsenic being the cheapest supermarket successful The Grocer 33 handbasket comparison, contempt this survey present including loyalty pricing.

“In addition, customers besides get the added benefits of buying astatine Asda alternatively than the discounters – specified arsenic household brands they love, large manner and homeware from George, the champion worth supermarket substance and currency rewards done the Asda Rewards app.

"The app gives customers wealth backmost into their Cashpot each clip they shop, which they tin usage to trim the terms they wage astatine the till. In little than 2 years since its launch, Asda Rewards is present utilized by implicit six cardinal customers who person saved much than £600m successful total.”

Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrison's were each approached for remark but did not respond by the clip of publication.