Which supermarket sells the cheapest branded food?

Asda is the cheapest supermarket for branded groceries for the third consecutive month – beating even loyalty card deals at Tesco and Sainsbury’s – a report by consumer champion Which? has found.

Which? also found that the UK’s two biggest supermarkets were more expensive than upmarket supermarket Waitrose on branded items (£895.28) for shoppers who do not have a loyalty card.

Which? found that 240 branded items at Sainsbury’s were 17% more expensive than at Asda while Tesco (£912.56) was 15% more, without a loyalty card. Asda does not offer exclusive prices to its Rewards customers.

The 240 items, which included Dolmio Bolognese Sauce, Nescafé Azera instant coffee and Mr Kipling Angel Cake Slices, came to £795.21 at Asda.

The largest difference in average price in April was Colgate Plax Cool Mint Mouthwash 500ml, which cost £2 at Asda but £4.50 at both Tesco and Sainsbury’s without a loyalty card – a difference of 125%.

In another example, a 50-pack of Pampers Premium Protection New Baby Diapers cost £4.54 with a Tesco Clubcard but £8.70 for those without – a 92% difference.

These prices – which were available to all shoppers – were even lower than the member-only prices at both Tesco with a Clubcard by 3% (£821.67) and Sainsbury’s with a Nectar card by 6% (£850.39).

Morrisons was 5% more expensive than Asda on average when using a More card (£838.15), and 6% more costly without one (£839.18).

Which? found supermarket Waitrose to be the cheapest for several of the products included in the analysis, including Dolmio Bolognese Sauce Onion And Garlic 450g, which was £1.50 on average in Waitrose compared with £2.60 at most other supermarkets, including Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco for those without a loyalty card – a difference of 73%.

Which? found Sharwood’s Medium Egg Noodles 226g was £1.36 at Waitrose but £2.10 in Tesco for non-members – a difference of 54%.

Aldi and Lidl are not included in the analysis because they do not stock a sufficiently wide range of branded groceries.

A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: “All examples in this report were cheaper on Nectar Prices and our customers know a good deal when they see one, with 85% of sales involving a Nectar card.

“We are committed to delivering outstanding value on the products people buy the most, including over 700 products in the biggest Aldi Price Match on the market and our own-brand value lines.”

A Tesco spokesman said: “It’s no secret that Clubcard unlocks the biggest savings at Tesco – but it’s just one of the ways our customers get great value.

“Our Aldi Price Match and Everyday Low Prices schemes ensure that all shoppers, including those without a Clubcard, enjoy competitive prices whenever they shop with us.”