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Between 4 July and 2 August, we recorded 97 price increases at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda and Aldi.
More than half of budget items across Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Morrisons and Asda have become more expensive in the last five months.
Supermarkets imposed price rises on almost 100 basic range groceries in July as the cost of living crisis continued to deepen – a fifth of them getting more expensive for at least the second month running.
Our sister title NationalWorld has been tracking the price of value range items at five major UK supermarkets since April, with our research revealing how the poorest shoppers are being clobbered by steep rises.
Between 4 July and 2 August, we recorded 97 price increases at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda and Aldi – almost one in six of the products we gathered price information for during that time.
Only 27 products came down in price during the same period.
Since April, more than half of the value range items on offer across the five supermarkets have become more expensive – 307 out of the 569 products (54%) that had prices displayed online in both April and August.
The average price rise for the products that saw increases was 15.1% across the five-month period – though 20 items have risen by at least a third (33%), with two products doubling in price.
Supermarkets imposed 102 price rises between April and May, 175 between May and June, and 138 between June and July.
NationalWorld’s research covers the value ranges at each supermarket.
At Asda these are the Smart Price and Farm Stores brands, which are currently being replaced with a new range called Just Essentials.
Aldi meanwhile has an Everyday Essentials line – although many products that are not part of this specific range have a price point similar to budget line items at other supermarkets – while Morrisons is home to Morrisons Savers.
Tesco and Sainsbury’s both ditched their value lines in recent years, replacing them with a collection of in-house brands in an effort to keep up with German rivals Aldi and Lidl.
At Tesco these include Ms Molly’s (confectionery and treats), Stockwell & Co (food cupboard essentials) and Creamfields (dairy products).
Sainsbury’s meanwhile boasts Hubbard Foodstores (stock cupboard essentials), J. James and Family (fresh and frozen meat and fish) and Stamford Street (chilled products such as ready meals), among others.
Eleven products saw price rises at Asda between July and August, compared to four decreases.
That was 6% of the 171 products in this month’s tracker.
Between April and August, Asda imposed price rises on 74 out of the 156 items that had prices listed for both months – 47% of its offering.
The biggest rise during this time was for a 392g tin of chilli con carne, which has risen by 103%, from 65p to £1.32.
In some instances an old Smart Price product has been replaced by a more expensive Just Essentials item.
The full list of items that saw price rises in the latest month is below, ranked by percentage increase:
An Asda spokesperson said: “We are doing all we can to limit the impact of inflation for our customers, including launching our new value range - Just Essentials - which offers more than 300 products at budget prices, along with Dropping & Locking price of over 100 family favourites and keeping them the same price until the end of the year.
“We’re proud to have been recognised as the best value supermarket in independent research carried out by the Grocer and Which? magazines.”
Aldi only increased prices for four products in the latest month, while dropping the price of eight items – the only store where price drops outnumbered rises.
Since April however Aldi has increased the price of more than two out of five Everyday Essentials products – 22 out of the 52 products (42%) with available data.
The average increase was 11.4% for those that saw price rises, with the biggest hike coming for a tin of spaghetti hoops, which rose by 23% from 13p to 16p.
For the first time, NationalWorld found dozens of products were out of stock when taking a price snapshot online this month. No price was displayed for the 38 items affected, meaning they could not be included in our August tracker.
The list of items that saw price rises in July, ranked by percentage increase is below:
An Aldi spokesperson said: “We are the lowest-priced supermarket in Britain and our customers always pay less for their shop with Aldi, which is why we were named as the cheapest supermarket in July by consumer champion Which?.
“Value is the number one consideration for most households as they wrestle with rising costs and our promise to our customers is that we will always provide the lowest grocery prices in Britain.”
They added that all stores are restocked daily to ensure good availability.
From July to August, Morrisons put up prices on one in every five products – 13 out of 66 (20%).
That compared to just three price decreases. Two products saw price rises for at least the second month running.
Since April, more than half (54%) of Morrisons’s value range offering has seen price rises – 19 out of 35 products (Morrisons expanded its Savers range after we began our tracker in April, so the sample of items we have been tracking since then is much smaller than for the latest month).
The average increase for items that have seen a price rise since April was 19.9% – the highest of any supermarket. The biggest rise was for a 300g tin of marrowfat peas, which went up by 41% from 39p to 55p.
The full list of items that saw price rises in the latest month, ranked by percentage increase is below:
Morrisons did not respond to a request for comment.
Sainsbury’s raised prices on 30 out of 136 items between July and August – 22% of its offering, the highest proportion of all five supermarkets this month.
Only five items went down in price, while four went up for at least the second month running.
Since April, 79 products have had price rises imposed on them – 58% of the offering.
The average rise for products that have gone up in price since April was 16.8%, with the biggest hike coming for House 247 bio laundry powder, which has doubled in price from 75p to £1.50.
The full list of items that saw price rises in the latest month, ranked by percentage increase is below:
Sainsbury’s has consistently told NationalWorld our research is not a fair reflection of the value they offer.
A spokesperson said the store has hundreds of own brand products across a variety of ranges, which includes some non-value range items which are still low price options.
They added: “With costs going up, we are working hard to keep prices low. We are investing over half a billion pounds to ensure the items people buy most often are on the shelves at the best prices and we are confident our Sainsbury’s Quality, Aldi Price Match campaign and Price Lock promise are making a big difference to our customers.
“Our latest financial results show that we are putting up prices at a slower rate than our competitors and focus on offering customers the best quality and value food.
“The bold steps we are taking to focus on value means all our customers will find great deals when they shop with us and do not need to go anywhere else to get the best prices on their weekly shop.”
There were 39 price rises at Tesco last month, affecting one in five (19%) of the 201 products we were tracking. That compared to just seven price decreases.
Of these, 11 items had seen price hikes for at least two months in a row.
Since April, Tesco has raised the price of 113 out of the 190 products captured in the five-month tracker – 60% of its offering, the highest proportion of any supermarket.
The average rise for those that went up in price between April and August was 15.1%. Worst affected was the Heart Food Co frozen potato croquettes (700g) which went from 61p to 90p, a rise of 48%.
The full list of items that saw price rises in the latest month, ranked by percentage increase is below:
Tesco did not respond to a request for comment.
How has NationalWorld been tracking price rises?