Asda wins cheapest supermarket again as it undercuts rivals by over £4

Asda offered the cheapest basket this week, undercutting runner-up Sainsbury’s by more than £4.

It is the seventh time Asda has come in cheapest in the first nine weeks of the current Grocer 33 year, and follows a narrow win for Tesco last week.

With a total of £77.73, Asda had the lowest price for 19 items. Of these, 17 were exclusively cheapest, including the pork loin steaks, Raid fly spray and Loyd Grossman pasta sauce.

Asda’s 5.2% edge over Sainsbury’s will be music to the ears of executive chairman Allan Leighton, who set out an ambition to come in between 5% and 10% cheaper than its big supermarket rivals.

Asda achieved that difference despite being 3.1% more expensive year on year.

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In contrast, Sainsbury’s was 1% cheaper year on year, Tesco 0.5% cheaper and Morrisons 0.4% more expensive than in August 2024.

While there was a big gap between Asda and the chasing pack, there was little between the next three retailers. Tesco was just 6p more expensive than Sainsbury’s at £82.02. Sainsbury’s offered its loyalty scheme members £5.65 in discounts via its Nectar Prices initiative, while Tesco’s Clubcard Prices saved £4.74 this week.

Sainsbury’s was exclusively cheapest for the fusilli and the Taylors of Harrogate coffee bags (see right). Tesco’s exclusively cheapest items were the PG Tips teabags, Rowntree’s lollies and salad tomatoes.

Morrisons was 17p more expensive than Sainsbury’s at £82.13, which was £4.40 more expensive than Asda.

Waitrose saw the most inflation of any of our retailers. Its total was 7.4% more expensive year on year. It only managed the lowest price for two items, one of which – the Innocent orange juice – was exclusively cheapest. At £93.08, it was £15.35 dearer than Asda.