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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Emma Gill

Lidl misses out on cheapest crown this Christmas, as surprise supermarket creeps into third place

As we head into Christmas, it's budget retailer Aldi that has come up trumps with consumers.

Not only did it promise to have the cheapest turkeys this year, cutting its price twice to beat other retailers, but it's maintained its position as the cheapest store in our weekly comparison just in time for the big day.

For months it was Lidl riding high, selling the same eight essentials for the lowest price of all the six main supermarkets.

But last week we reported how Aldi had once again knocked it from the top spot and it remains there this week.

Read more: The £3 Asda candles shoppers say are 'better than Yankee'

The shopping basket - made up of a two-pint bottle of milk, a loaf of bread, coffee, teabags, butter, beans, chicken breasts and mince - now comes to £11.11 at Aldi and £11.23 at Lidl.

But this week's biggest surprise is the retailer that has crept into third place for the first time - and that's Sainsbury's, with a bill of £11.37.

Over many months the retailer held the position of second most expensive, behind Morrisons, so it's somewhat of a shock for shoppers to see it in third place.

The move is partly down to price increases at Asda, which has put its 350g pack of chicken up from £2.80 to £3 and its Just Essentials beans up by a penny.

Sainsbury's is the third cheapest, at £11.37 (Getty Images)

It comes as just this week, Sainsbury's CEO Simon Roberts shared his vision for it to become 'as cheap as Aldi'.

Amid the cost of living crisis, he's announced a £550m investment, which will see the supermarket 'take on' the budget retailer and become more competitive. And he's admitted he is prepared to accept a fall in profits in the short term in order to ensure Sainsbury's stays competitive for shoppers.

When we first began our weekly comparison back in March, Sainsbury's was actually the most expensive of the lot - the only one to reach double figures, with a bill of £10.45. At the time Aldi and Lidl remained the cheapest, at £9.13 and £9.14 respectively.

Now the bill tops £11 in every supermarket.

Mr Roberts explained why he thinks more shoppers are turning to Sainsbury's.

"We are seeing more customers coming back to us from the discounters," he said, highlighting the limited range offered by discounters cannot match that of a typical Sainsbury’s store with more than 30,000 food products.

"Do you want to go to lots of places for what you need or one place? Time is precious, not just money," he added.

Where have you been doing your grocery shopping? Have you changed the way you shop to help cut costs? Let us know in the comments here.

Here's the full list:-

Aldi

Loaf of white bread 800g - 39p

Milk 2 pints - £1.19

Coffee 200g - £1.85

Teabags 160 - £1.39

Salted butter 250g - £1.99

Beans 420g tin - 26p

Chicken 300g - £2.25

Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.79

Total £11.11

Lidl

Loaf of white bread 800g - 36p

Milk 2 pints - £1.30

Coffee 200g - £1.85

Teabags 160 - £1.19

Salted butter 250g - £1.99

Beans 420g tin - 26p

Chicken 300g - £2.29

Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.99

Total £11.23

Lidl and Asda are the only places selling the 500g packs of 20% fat mince for £1.99. Elsewhere, they are £1.79 (Manchester Family / MEN)

Sainsbury's

Loaf of white bread 800g - 39p

Milk 2 pints - £1.30

Coffee 200g £1.85

Teabags 160 - £1.39

Salted butter 250g - £1.99

Beans 400g tin - 21p (down from 25p)

Chicken 300g - £2.50

Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.79

Total £11.37 (down from £11.41)

Asda

Loaf of white bread 800g (Just Essentials) - 39p

Milk 2 pints - £1.30

Coffee 200g (2 x 100g Just Essentials) - £1.66

Teabags 160 (4 x 40-pack Just Essentials) - £1.24

Salted butter 250g - £1.99

Beans 410g tin (Just Essentials) - 26p (up from 25p)

Chicken (bigger 350g pack for £3) equates to £2.57 (up from £2.80 / £2.40)

Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.99

Total £11.40 (up from £11.22)

Tesco

Loaf of white bread 800g - 39p

Milk 2 pints - £1.30

Coffee 200g (2 x 100g) - £1.86

Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack) - £1.40

Salted butter 250g - £1.99

Beans 420g tin - 27p

Chicken 300g - £2.50

Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.79

Total £11.50

Tesco is second most expensive, at £11.50 (Nicholas.T.Ansell/PA Wire)

Morrisons

Loaf of white bread 800g - 79p

Milk 2 pints - £1.30

Coffee (2 x 100g) - £1.70

Teabags 160 (2 x 80-pack Savers) - £1.30

Savers Salted butter 250g - £1.89

Beans 410g tin - 29p

Chicken 300g - £2.49

Mince 500g 20% fat - £1.79

Total: £11.55

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