Leading supermarket beats Aldi and Lidl to go from 'most expensive' to cheapest

Man pushing shopping trolly full of food with motion blur.
-Credit: (Image: Getty/©Scott MacBride)


Morrisons has now claimed the title of 'cheapest' supermarket from Aldi, following a 15 percent reduction in the cost of an essential item since last week. Despite being one of the most expensive retailers for much of the past year, Morrisons is currently the most affordable among the six main supermarkets, according to weekly comparison by the the Manchester Evening News (MEN).

Since March 2022, MEN has been comparing the prices of a basket containing mince, chicken, a two-pint bottle of milk, a loaf of bread, coffee, teabags, butter and beans at Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda, Aldi and Lidl. In April, Morrisons was the most expensive, and in July it faced criticism for increasing the price of its cheapest Savers tea bags by 13 percent within a week - a hike it reversed following customer backlash.

However, this week, Morrisons is the cheapest of all, having reduced the price of its chicken breasts to the lowest on the market. The Morrisons More Card, which introduced additional offers in stores this week, has seen the price drop from £2.65 for a 330g pack to £2.25 - a price that will remain until September 22.

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This equates to £2.05 for a 300g pack - the size sold at all other supermarkets - but even Aldi and Lidl's price is £2.25. Asda's is £2.50, while Sainsbury's and Tesco charge even more, at £2.65. This price cut means the shopping basket at Morrisons now costs £11.95, marking the first time it's been below £12 for quite some time.

Lidl ranks second with a total of £12.03, while Aldi has moved into third place at £12.12 after increasing the price of its butter from £1.69 to £1.79. Asda is the fourth cheapest at £12.55, closely followed by Sainsbury's at £12.56. Despite a slight decrease in the price of its budget Stockwell tea bags, Tesco remains the most expensive after increasing the price of its butter, coming in at £12.71.

Aldi has disputed the results of the MEN's weekly comparison, stating that it doesn't consider like-for-like products or "the higher quality" of its products. For instance, the supermarket claims that its beans are 20g heavier than Sainsbury's and that Aldi tea bags are "better quality than the comparative products used".

Asda also disagrees with their comparison, arguing that their small sample of products does not represent the fuller picture of prices and does not account for its deals. The supermarket maintains that, across the board, its Just Essentials range is the largest and cheapest available, alongside Aldi's. The full list is as follows.

Morrisons

Loaf of white bread 800g - 47p

Milk 2 pints - £1.20

Coffee (2 x 100g) - £1.98

Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack Savers) - £1.60

Savers Salted butter 250g - £1.69

Beans 410g tin - 27p

Chicken 300g - £2.25 for 330g, equates to £2.05 for 300g (down from £2.65 for 330g, or £2.41 for 300g)

Mince 500g 25% fat - £2.29

Total £11.95 (down from £12.31)

Lidl

Loaf of white bread 800g - 47p

Milk 2 pints - £1.20

Coffee 200g - £1.99

Teabags 240 - £2.79 / equates to £1.86 for 160

Salted butter 250g - £1.69

Beans 420g tin - 28p

Chicken 300g - £2.25

Mince 500g 25% fat - £2.29

Total £12.03

Aldi

Loaf of white bread 800g - 47p

Milk 2 pints - £1.20

Coffee 200g - £1.99

Teabags 160 - £1.85

Salted butter 250g - £1.79 (up from £1.69)

Beans 420g tin - 28p

Chicken 300g - £2.25

Mince 500g 25% fat - £2.29

Total £12.12 (up from £12.02)

Asda

Loaf of white bread 800g - 47p

Milk 2 pints - £1.20

Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) - £1.98

Teabags 160 (4 x 40-pack) - £1.80

Salted butter 250g - £1.69

Beans 410g tin - 27p

Chicken 300g - £2.65

Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.49

Total £12.55

Sainsbury's

Loaf of white bread 800g - 47p

Milk 2 pints - £1.20

Coffee 200g - £1.99

Teabags 160 - £1.85

Salted butter 250g - £1.79

Beans 400g tin - 27p

Chicken 300g - £2.50

Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.49

Total £12.56

Tesco

Loaf of white bread 800g - 47p

Milk 2 pints - £1.20

Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) - £1.98

Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack) - £1.84 (down from £1.88)

Salted butter 250g - £1.79 (up from £1.69)

Beans 420g tin - 29p

Chicken 300g - £2.65

Mince 500g 20% fat - £2.49

Total £12.71 (up from £12.65)