Sainsbury’s has increased the price of its standard meal deal by 5%.
The price of its popular lunchtime meal deal, which includes a main meal product, side and a drink has increased from £3.75 to £3.95.
The higher price was rolled out across Sainsbury’s stores earlier this week. It’s the second time Sainsbury’s has increased the price of the deal in less than a year, after increasing the price by 25p in July 2024. The latest change means the price has risen by 12.8% during that time.
Its premium meal deal has remained unchanged at £5 since it was introduced in 2022.
Sainsbury’s did not say what was driving the latest price increase, however it has recently expanded the range of products available as it doubles down on food-to-go sales, adding 35 new products, including salads, glazed doughnuts, ice creams and premium snacks from its Taste the Difference range.
Amid a renewed supermarket price war, it makes the offer uncompetitive compared to many of its major rivals. Tesco’s equivalent meal deal costs £3.60 for Clubcard members. Morrisons offers a main product, snack and a drink for £4, but drops the price to £3.60 for More card holders. Asda meanwhile offers Mix & Match 3 for 2 on a selection of sandwiches, snacks and drinks.
Discounters Aldi and Lidl currently don’t offer lunchtime meal deals. Waitrose launched its first ever lunchtime meal deal in 2023, at £5.
A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman insisted that it “continued to offer one of the best value meal deals around”.
“We’ve also recently introduced a range of new products just in time for summer, including our bestselling Picnic Triple Sandwich and build your own salad options. This means anyone who shops with us can choose from an affordable selection of over 150 mains, 300 snacks and 400 drinks,” she said.
Sainsbury’s had traditionally lagged the sector in terms of its meal deal offers, but now sees the mechanism as a crucial part of its Next Level strategy, particularly to grow sales at its Local convenience stores.
It has recently rolled out new Taste the Difference dine-in meals, which give shoppers a main, side, dessert and glassed beverage for £12, but only with a Nectar card. It also launched a brand new Food on the Go hub format at its Epsom future store in November, and plans to roll the concept into more of its largest supermarkets by the end of autumn.
No comments yet