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As many as 97 items became costlier at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda and Aldi between 4 July and 2 August as inflation hit 10.1% in July
Shoppers have been paying more for basic range of products as prices as supermarkets have increased the prices of many of these essential items.
At least 25% of 100 basic range items were more expensive in July, research by BirminghamWorld’s sister title NationalWorldfound. This has been compounded by the cost of living crisis. Campaigners in Birmingham are planning to protest in October against the continued issues that the crisis is causing for families aross the country.
After tracking the cost of value range products at five of the major supermarkets including Asda, Tesco, Aldi, since April, our research has found that the poorest shoppers are now paying more for what is supposed to be the affordable range of items even as West Midlanders shift to discount shopping.
As many as 97 items became costlier at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda and Aldi between 4 July and 2 August as inflation hit 10.1% in July with food and non-alcoholic drinks being the largest contributors. 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?
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