Marks & Spencer has inched ahead of the discounters to top this year’s Which? ranking for best UK supermarket.
The upscale grocer received the highest scoring for in-store supermarket in 2022 with 78% customer satisfaction rates.
M&S raked in top marks for store appearance, customer service, and quality of own-brand and fresh products.
“As M&S Food modernises to become a bigger, better, fresher food business and expand our appeal to enable more customers to shop bigger baskets, this is a welcome endorsement,” said M&S COO and Food MD Stuart Machin.
“It is fantastic news for our remarkable colleagues who will be delighted to receive this recognition for the standard of customer service as well as the quality and trusted value customers get when they shop the magic of M&S Food.”
The news comes just weeks after M&S scored poorly in Which?’s supermarket sustainability ranking, hence failing to get the Recommended Provider stamp.
Meanwhile, strong performances by Aldi and Lidl highlighted the importance of value for money for customers as living costs mount, the consumer champion said.
Which? magazine editor Harry Rose said: “Shoppers have chosen M&S as their favourite supermarket for a great in-store shopping experience and quality products. But with the cost of living continuing to rise, many people are looking for quality at the cheapest possible price, and this is reflected by a strong showing in our research for some of the least expensive supermarkets.”
Last year’s winner Aldi trailed closely with a 77% customer score, and was the only supermarket to get the full five stars for value for money.
Waitrose completed the top three with a 75% score, with survey respondents noting its premium prices were often “not justified”.
The big four all landed in the bottom half of Which?’s table for their in-store offering. But it was Co-op that was crowned worst in-store supermarket – for a second year running – according to the survey of 3,000 shoppers.
When it came to online supermarkets, Iceland snagged first place from online-only retailer Ocado – which tied with Tesco for second place.
Amazon Fresh, which recently entered the top two retailers for product penetration ahead of Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, landed bottom of the table.
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