Sainsbury's tenure as cheapest retailer has been cut short by a resurgent Asda. After just a week at the top of The Grocer 33 price survey, Sainsbury's fell to fourth place, with a £52.64 basket, £1. 27 more expensive than Asda's winning basket. Though it made seven price hikes, Asda boasted six of the cheapest items on the list, including the Ambrosia creamed rice, which was 35p cheaper than last week. It also reduced the price of the Hovis loaf by 15p to £1, as did Tesco and Waitrose, and followed Tesco and Morrisons in slashing the price of Viennetta by 39p to £1 and pork pies by 38p. However, it joined Sainsbury's and Tesco in increasing the Weetabix by 22p to £1.78 and, like Morrisons, put the price of the lettuce up 15p to 75p. It also added 37p to the coffee and 20p to mince. Tesco, which pipped Morrisons to second place, increased the price of its mince from £2.29 to £4.78, matching the prices at the rest of the big four. It joined Sainsbury's and Waitrose in adding 10p to the baguette and its lettuce was the priciest at 85p. But it slashed 53p off the price of its apples and its lasagne and pork pies were the cheapest on the list. Morrisons climbed one place to third with a £52.37 basket, but added 69p to the Kleenex tissues and 20p to the price of flour, making them the priciest on the list at £3.39 and at 85p respectively. Flour, however, went up at all the retailers this week: Sainsbury's and Tesco added 14p and Waitrose 6p. Morrisons reduced the price of grapes by £1 but with other price cuts being matched, this only brought it in line with the rest of the big four. The only reduction fourth place Sainsbury's made was reducing the price of its pasta by 31p. Waitrose's £58.70 basket contained 18 of the priciest items and it also added 50p and 40p to the price of apples and wine respectively. Somerfield is no longer included in The Grocer 33 as its stores are too small to be fairly measured or compared on availability.

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