Which? says Lidl cheapest in October, narrowly ahead of Aldi

Lidl was named the cheapest supermarket in the UK in October after a consumer group analysis found a basket of 70 everyday items cost an average of £120.46 there, narrowly undercutting Aldi, which averaged £121 for the same list. The finding, published by consumer watchdog Which?, also showed Lidl Plus loyalty members paid an average of £120.38 for the same shop.

Which? said the 70-item basket included a mix of branded and own-brand products such as Birds Eye peas, Hovis bread, milk and butter. The margin between Lidl and Aldi was small — 54 pence — underscoring how tight competition remains among the discounters that have dominated which? price rankings in recent years. Aldi had been named the cheapest supermarket 22 times in the past 24 months.

For shoppers looking at a wider range of goods, Which? produces a separate comparison based on 187 items. That larger basket excludes Aldi and Lidl because of their smaller product ranges and showed Asda as the cheapest, with a total of £469.11. In that comparison Tesco ranked second when loyalty pricing was applied, at £476.11 for Clubcard holders, while Morrisons totalled £481.34 for customers using its More loyalty card. Waitrose was...