Sainsbury’s has reduced the number of products in its Aldi price match campaign in the lead-up to Christmas, research shows.
The retailer has slashed the number of items in the campaign from 255 (in early October) to 209 in the week leading up to Christmas, according to research conducted by consultancy firm IPLC.
“Maybe rising costs and falling margins are forcing them to adjust their strategy or certainly reduce the number of items they can match,” said IPLC’s partner Paul Stainton.
Some of the items dropped from the campaign have seen a significant price hike. For instance, Aldi’s lamb chops (£3.69) are now over 20% cheaper than Sainsbury’s, up from £3.49 in October to £4.75 now.
The same is true for other items, such as Sainsbury’s Franks Cat Litter 10-litres, which has gone up from £1.55 to £1.85 (while Aldi’s has only gone up from £1.55 to £1.65).
Its Malted Milk Biscuits 200g have gone up from 29p to 45p, while Aldi’s haven’t moved at 29p.
Similarly, Sainsbury’s 600ml crème fraiche was £1.45 in October as it ‘matched’ Aldi’s 300ml one, which cost 75p. That same 600ml crème fraiche is now being sold for £1.95, while Aldi has a same-sized one currently in store for Christmas only at £1.45.
Of all the items that were on the October list but did not make it to the December list, 31 are brands – with 17 of them being alcohol brands.
However, the analysis showed Sainsbury’s is still matching Aldi on most of those alcohol brands, yet has decided not to mark them as Aldi price match.
Some, like Wychwood Hobgoblin 500ml and Foster’s 4x440ml, are trading at even lower prices in Sainsbury’s comparatively to Aldi.
The former costs £1.25 at Sainsbury’s versus £1.30 at Aldi, while the latter retails for £3.49 at Sainsbury’s versus £3.52 at Aldi – up from £3.49 in October.
Twelve produce lines have also come off the list, while 10 have been added, which can be attributed to “seasonal changes”, Stainton pointed out.
Last week, Sainsbury’s added 15 Christmas products to its Aldi price match campaign in a bid to attract more shoppers this festive season.
Stainton said: “Headlines such as ‘Sainsbury’s matches Aldi prices for Christmas dinner’ are stretching it a bit” due to the reduced number of items added to the list.
The changes affected Christmas staples like turkey, gammon joints, potatoes and sprouts, and a chocolate gateau dessert.
A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said: “We’re investing in great value more than ever. Our recently launched Christmas dinner campaign is the latest example of this and focuses on offering great prices on the products our customers tell us they care about most.
”We remain committed to offering customers great value. Our ‘Sainsbury’s Quality, Aldi Price Match’ promise continues to feature hundreds of products across the store. This is alongside our popular Price Lock promise, which holds prices on over 1,000 products.”
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