Sainsbury’s launches ‘biggest ever’ Aldi Price Match push

Sainsbury’s has dramatically ramped up its Aldi price campaign, increasing the number of products included by about a third in recent weeks.

Sainsbury’s is currently listing 310 Aldi price-matched products on its website. According to private label consultancy IPLC, which has been monitoring changes to the campaign for The Grocer, that’s up from 233 since 23 December.

Newly price-matched Sainsbury’s products include seven own-label cereals, four own-label coffee lines, 16 own-label soups and various own-label tinned foods such as baked beans, which have dropped in price from 50p to 37p.

Ten own-label nappy products have also been added, price-matched against Aldi’s Mamia range.

A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said it was the result of the supermarket launching its “biggest ever Aldi Price Match” on 30 December.

She said it included 25% more products than the autumn cycle of the campaign, with 150 fresh lines among the additions. She said 10% of Sainsbury’s sales by volume were now price-matched with Aldi and nearly half of its top 50 lines by volume sales.

However, some products have also been removed from the campaign since 23 December, according to IPLC.

Read more: Who is Tesco’s Aldi Price Match campaign benefiting most: Tesco… or Aldi?

They include pork sausages (454g), which Sainsbury’s has increased in price from £1.49 to £2.20, as noted by The Grocer’s KVI tracker last week. 

Own-label microwave rice has fallen out of the campaign and risen in price at Sainsbury’s from 35p to 50p per 250g pack, while Aldi’s remains at the lower price.

Last month, Sainsbury’s said it would invest £50m in low prices by March 2023, taking the two-year total to over £550m.

The supermarket is due to announce its Christmas and quarter three trading update on Wednesday (11 January).

According to latest Kantar data, Sainsbury’s grew sales by 6.2% in the 12 weeks to 25 December, while grocery price inflation in the period was 14.2%. It left Sainsbury’s market share at 15.5%, down from 15.7% a year earlier.

Meanwhile, Aldi was the fastest-growing grocer in the period, with sales up 27%, putting its market share at 9.1%, up from 7.7% a year earlier.

According to Aldi’s Christmas trading update, announced last week, its sales through December jumped by 26% to a record high of £1.4bn.

“One has to wonder if these Aldi Price Match schemes are simply free advertising for the discounter, as Sainsbury’s and Tesco customers are constantly reminded as to how good their prices are,” said IPLC partner Paul Stainton.

New additions to Sainsbury’s Aldi Price Match campaign

Source: Sainsbury’s

High-volume lines in Sainsbury’s Aldi Price Match campaign

Source: Sainsbury’s