A basket of goods from J Sainsbury PLC (LSE:SBRY) remained cheaper than at Tesco PLC (LSE:TSCO) in March, according to consumer group Which?
Discounters Aldi and Lidl remained the cheapest overall, with the former snatching the title by just 25 pence, charging £72.54 for a basket of 41 goods compared to £72.79.
Sainsbury’s stayed third in the rankings for the second month in a row, meanwhile, ahead of Tesco, Asda and then embattled Wm Morrison Supermarkets, which, aside from debt concerns, was overtaken by Aldi as the UK's fourth largest supermarket last year.
Price of a basket of 41 goods in March - Which?
Asda nabbed the leading spot out of the ‘traditional supermarkets’ when assessed on a larger basket of 137 groceries, Which? found, with Ocado PLC, which sells Marks and Spencer Group PLC goods, remaining cheaper than rival Waitrose.
Price of a trolley of 137 goods in March - Which?
Supermarkets have been caught in a battle to keep prices as low as possible, as rising energy bills and fresh grocery shortages have driven up costs, though efforts were not enough to stop inflation reaching a record high of 17.5% in March, according to Kantar data.
Sainsbury’s has committed £500mln to cut its prices over the past few years, having moved away from offering discounts.
Morrison's has made similar moves cutting prices in late March for the third time in as many months.
Waitrose also put £100mln towards lowering the costs of 300 of its own-branded goods from February, as it looked to tap into shifting consumer habits that has seen people cherry-picking across stores.