Aldi the best, Sainsbury’s the worst, Which?
Aldi is the UK’s favourite supermarket for 2018, according to Which? research involving 6,800 shoppers. The discounter has knocked Waitrose from the top spot, which it held for three years.
Sainsbury’s finished in last position, with the least-satisfied in-store customers overall. Asda, Morrisons and Tesco, the other three largest supermarkets, complete the bottom half of the rankings. Meanwhile, M&S was rated second best by in-store shoppers, with Lidl taking third place.
Aldi’s value for money and top-quality products fuelled its rise to the top. Only it and third-placed Lidl scored five stars for value for money, according to their customers. Both discounters were also rated well for the quality of both their fresh and own-label products. However, Aldi and Lidl both also scored just two or three stars – equivalent to a ‘poor’ or ‘OK’ rating from their customers – for staff availability, queuing time, range of products and store appearance.
Waitrose and M&S, in contrast, scored four or five stars on those aspects. Although it ranked fourth overall, Waitrose got five-star ratings in the most categories. It was the only store that customers gave five stars for staff availability – but it also got the lowest rating for value for money. When it comes to satisfaction, customers seem to be prioritising price over in-store experience. Price also seems to be driving popularity; Aldi and Lidl now account for nearly £1 in every £8 spent in Britain’s supermarkets. A decade ago, this was £1 in every £25.
Sainsbury’s came last for shopping in-store, although it didn’t score poorly in any particular area. Customers are left feeling uninspired, with one shopper telling Which? it was ‘slightly dull-looking, but reliable’. This is also true of Asda, Morrisons and Tesco. All get three or more stars in every category Which? asked customers about, but they sit together at the bottom of the table. Tesco was the only one of the four to get a five-star rating – for its range of products.
