Sainsbury's has beaten Aldi and Lidl after bringing in major change

Sainsbury’s has been named as 'the only big four supermarket to gain shopper spend' from both Aldi and Lidl amid the cost of living crisis. The accolade came as the retailer was crowned Grocer of the Year for the first time in nearly two decades.

Hosted by Myleene Klass, the glittering Grocer Gold Awards 2024 took place at the Royal Albert Hall on July 1. Sainsbury's also beat last year's winner Marks & Spencer to the main award. It is thought that one major change gave the big orange supermarket the ace card.

And this was down to the launch of Nectar Prices last April. This new loyalty initiative gives all 18 million Nectar customers big savings on a wide range of products when checking out in stores or online.

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Initially started on 300 items, including household products, key favourites, pet food and sweets, the Nectar Price deal continued to expand into more areas, giving customers greater offers on items throughout the year. Some of the deals have included better than half price deals on selected items.

Examples included Ariel washing liquid capsules for £5 instead of £10.50, Nescafé Gold Blend coffee for £4 rather than £8.10 and Oral-B Pro Cross Action Black & Travel Case for £45, normally £100. The prices are automatically reduced when shoppers scan their Nectar card.

Adam Leyland, The Grocer’s editor-in-chief and chair of the 67-strong judging panel, hailed Sainsbury’s outstanding performance as 'the only big four supermarket to gain shopper spend from both Aldi and Lidl amid the cost of living crisis'. He added: "Restoring growth while increasing profits is not an easy thing to do at the best of times, but especially with the highest inflation in decades, and the discounters – and other rivals – also opening a significant number of new stores.

"But Sainsbury’s has given shoppers permission to enjoy its wide range of food and drink through much more competitive pricing, most notably the launch of Nectar Prices last April, and its impressively rapid rollout."