Sainsburys Nectar prices veg fruit fresh aisle store

Sainsbury’s offered the biggest savings via promotions this week

Sainsbury’s provided the cheapest basket this week, in one of the most closely fought Grocer 33 pricing battles in recent memory.

The Holborn-based retailer hasn’t visited the winners’ enclosure since picking up two wins in a row in mid-October. This week, however, it pipped Tesco to the post by 6p – with a total shopping bill of £71.48 .

Sainsbury’s not only kept a lid on inflation but reversed it – coming in 3.6% cheaper than 12 months ago.

The supermarket also had the biggest saving via promotions this week: Nectar members enjoyed a discount of £6.70.

Sainsbury’s was cheapest for 11 items and exclusively so for five, including the Beyond Meat burgers, leeks and Pukka pie.

Tesco’s loyalty scheme ­members would have saved 5.3% this week. The UK’s biggest grocer came in just 0.6% more expensive year on year.

There was very little separating all four of the traditional main supermarkets.

In third spot, Asda was just 40p more expensive than Sainsbury’s at £71.88. The Leeds-based retailer was cheapest for 15 items and exclusively so for seven, but overall was 2% more expensive year on year.

Morrisons, meanwhile, came in £1.18 pricier than Sainsbury’s – and was 0.1% cheaper year on year on this basket.

Morrisons was running a dozen deals across our list, one fewer than Waitrose. However, the upmarket retailer was considerably more expensive than its rivals.

At £82.62, it was £11.14 costlier than Sainsbury’s. It offered the lowest price for four items and was exclusively cheapest for the Nissin soba noodles. Waitrose was only 0.7% more expensive than February 2024.

Despite media reports of rising inflation, our basket was on average 0.1% cheaper year on year and 3.8% cheaper than a month ago.