Aldi is the only one of the UK’s six biggest supermarkets where average unit prices fell in the second quarter of 2026, according to Worldpanel data seen by The Grocer.
Unit prices at Aldi have dropped steadily since quarter four of 2025, while those of each of the other five – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Lidl and Morrisons – have dipped and then risen again in 2026.
While the data is a blunt tool for direct price comparisons between retailers, as it does not account for pack size or the mix of brands and own label in baskets, it does provide an indication of upward or downward price movement across all packs being bought by shoppers from each supermarket.
It shows the average unit price at Aldi fell from £1.63 to £1.59 in quarter one of 2026, and again to £1.57 in quarter two. The data would include loyalty discounts offered by Aldi’s competitors.
The consistent downward movement at Aldi since last year lends credibility to its plans to grow by focusing on sales volumes rather than values. The discounter has been investing heavily in price cuts, including £60m in reducing summer essentials in May, while doubling down on every day low pricing in an ad campaign targeting rivals’ loyalty schemes with the slogan: ‘No cards, no points, no faff.’
Aldi is also improving its operational efficiency, have begun deliveries from a new 1.3 million sq ft warehouse in Leicestershire in May, using advanced automation and said to be Britain’s largest food distribution centre.
The aim is to grow its price advantage over competitors over time, which it believes will deliver growth in the long term.
Aldi’s market share has dipped from 11% to 10.8% over the past year as it grows value sales more slowly than the rest of the market, according to latest data [Worldpanel 12 w/e 12 July 2026].
But volume sales tell a different story. The Grocer revealed last month that in volume sales Aldi was one of only three bricks & mortar supermarkets in growth [Worldpanel 12 w/e 14 June 2026]. Aldi’s volume sales were up by 0.3% year on year, behind Morrisons’ 0.6% growth and Lidl leading the charge with a 4.8% increase.
Lidl has been the fastest-growing bricks & mortar supermarket in value sales for nearly three years, and overtook Morrisons in May as the UK’s fifth-biggest supermarket. Lidl’s share is at an all-time high of 8.8%, compared with Morrisons’ 8.5% [Worldpanel 12 w/e 12 June 2026].
Lidl’s loyalty discounts helped it win the latest Super Grocer 33 price comparison earlier this month, with a basket coming to £67.43 compared with runner-up Aldi’s £68.02.
The Grocer also recently revealed that more than half of shopping trips to Lidl involve a customer claiming a loyalty coupon reward, up from a quarter last year, in a sign of the investment fuelling its growth. The rate more than doubled from 26% in March 2025 to 57% in the four weeks ending 17 May 2026, according to Worldpanel data seen by The Grocer. It has been above 50% since August 2025 and peaked at 59% in January 2026.
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