In our current issue, we reveal how Tesco is ratcheting up the pressure in the supermarket milk wars by switching its Creamfields discount brand to semi-skimmed and whole milk for the first time.

Analysts said the move, at £1 for four pints, was a “very clear signal to stop customers shopping around” and that it showed Tesco was taking the resurgence of discounters such as Aldi, Lidl and Farmfoods “very seriously”.

But as the silly season ends and the kids go back to school next week, surely it’s just the opening salvo for a major price war from the multiples this autumn?

Any kind of growth has been at a premium this summer and there are signs the big retailers are preparing to roll up their sleeves in order to duke it out over the next few months.

Two weeks ago Sainsbury’s joined Tesco and Asda by launching its own Brand Match scheme – albeit as a trial in its 12 Northern Ireland stores – while Asda kicked off a new ad campaign for its own Price Guarantee.

With the coldest British summer since 1998 and no World Cup to boost sales, the supermarkets are going to need meticulous battle strategies to get shoppers shopping, analysts believe.

“Initiatives are the order of the day as retailers seek each possible purchase in a market where volumes are down in seven out of eight months,” points out one analyst. “Expect some noise in September when the holidays finish and the kids go back to school.”

Let battle commence.

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