The cost of a simple biccy break has rocketed as biscuit SKU prices soar in the supermarkets and discounters, The Grocer’s Key Value Item tracker revealed this week.
Year-on-year shelf prices of everyday biscuits shot up by as much as 87% in the traditional big four supermarkets as well as Waitrose, Aldi and Lidl [Assosia 52 w/e 12 June 2023].
Classic lines, such as Morrisons’ own-label bourbon creams 300g, for instance, rose 87.5% – from 40p to 75p.
In both Asda and Tesco, 300g packs of own-label milk chocolate digestives rose 41.7%, from 60p to 85p.
Lidl’s 400g pack of Tower Gate digestives, meanwhile, increased by 41% – from 39p to 55p.
Price hikes also hit branded lines, with McVitie’s Digestives 225g rising 25% from £1.20 to £1.50 in Sainsbury’s. McVitie’s Ginger Nuts 250g rose 26.1% in Asda, from £1.19 to £1.50.
“This is an unprecedented period of inflation and we are working to keep prices down,” said a Morrisons spokeswoman.
The retailer had also this year announced “a number of price cuts”, she added.
A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said consumers could “find low prices on the products they buy most often – including biscuits”.
Tesco advised its Mrs Molly’s 300g pack of chocolate digestives were price-matched with Aldi’s rival biscuits at 75p.
A spokeswoman for McVitie’s owner Pladis said it would not comment on shelf prices which were “set at the discretion of our retail partners”.
Neither Asda nor Lidl had responded as The Grocer went to press.
Biscuit price increases come as commodity prices of wheat and sugar are in decline.
However, it will likely take “seven to 12 months” for the lower prices to filter down and through to supermarket shelves and consumers, according to Retail Economics senior consultant Josh Holmes.
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