Lidl releases new figures showing its commitment to investing in the future

Lidl GB has released new figures showing the full scale of investments made during its last financial year, as it held firmly to its promise of providing all its customers with the highest quality products at the lowest possible prices.

As more households sought to make savings during the period in question, Lidl attracted an extra 1.4 million shoppers and witnessed its market share increase from 6.1% to 7.1%, which was the most rapid growth experienced by Lidl over the past five years. 

Besides a relentless focus on prices, Lidl maintained its position as the UK’s highest-paying supermarket by investing £50m in increasing the minimum hourly rates for store colleagues twice during the period in question. Also it launched nearly 50 new stores in the UK, whilst securing multiple new sites for future expansion as it continued to publish its site requirements. 

The update comes as Lidl GB publishes its latest accounts for the year ending 28th February 2023.

Ryan McDonnell, Lidl GB CEO: “We've always had a very clear commitment to offer the best value to our customers and that's a strong promise we will always keep, even in uncertain economic times.

"Alongside preserving this price promise, rewarding our people and maintaining long-term relationships with our suppliers will always be a priority. As a privately-owned business we have the ability to make decisions we know will have very real and immediate benefits for our people, customers and suppliers and long-term benefits for our business, too.”

Lidl, which sources its entire core range of fresh meat, eggs, milk, butter and cream from only British suppliers, said it had spent over £4 billion with British companies last year, as it reaffirms its commitment to buy British wherever it possibly can.

McDonnell went on to say: “The entire retail market saw inflation, and, obviously, we were no exception. However, for us, what's of vital importance is our price gap to the traditional supermarkets is as strong as it's always been. 

"We’ve invested in keeping our prices low for customers in what has been a very challenging year for most people and, with many more customers flooding through our doors every day, our ambition is to ensure every single household in Britain has access to high quality, affordable food at their local Lidl store.”

During the new financial year, as it continues to invest in its future growth, Lidl GB hasthe :

Opened the largest Lidl warehouse globally, in Luton following an investment of £300m, leading to the creation of up to 1,500 jobs

Completed work on an extension to its Belvedere warehouse, whilst continuing construction on the expansion of its Bridgend RDC alongside submitting plans for a warehouse in Leeds

Further increased market share which is now approaching 8%

Announced an accelerated investment of over £4bn in British food businesses for FY23

Increased hourly pay rates for a third time in just 12 months, with store and warehouse colleagues earning a minimum of £11.40 outside London and £12.85 within the M25, bringing its combined investment over the year to £60 million

Recruited over 6,000 new colleagues since the beginning of the year

Been named as cheapest basket in the Super Grocer 33, four out of six times since its launch last year

Commenting on the outlook for Aldi, McDonnell finished by saying: “As a company, we’re entering an exciting new phase of growth where we are bolstering our infrastructure to sustain us for the long term and hiring thousands of new colleagues too. 

"Next year will mark 30 years of Lidl in Great Britain, and there's no ceiling on our ambitions for the next 30 years as we see the potential for hundreds of new stores across Great Britain. In many ways our brand has never been more relevant. We are, and will continue to be, a discount retailer maintaining a relentless focus on providing our customers with great quality at unbeatable prices.”

www.lidl.co.uk

(EDITOR: Those of us who are concerned about the environment will be interested to know that Lidl's delivery fleet of lorries is powered by food waste from Lidl.)

Waitrose lowers prices of a further 250 products making everyday foods and even roast dinners cheaper

From tomorrow, Wednesday 13 September, Waitrose will be cutting the prices of 250 popular autumnal products including everyday food item staples such as pasta, whole chickens, sausages and potatoes.

Charlotte Di Cello, who is the Commercial Director for Waitrose, said: “Giving our customers good value for money is a priority for Waitrose and we will be continuing to work hard to keep our prices low, whilst at the same time maintaining our quality and supporting our fantastic farmers.

“We'll continue to deliver our market leading quality, using our outdoor-bred pork, responsibly sourced fish, higher-welfare chicken and LEAF marque-certified British fruit and veg. The only thing that's changing is the price, so Waitrose customers will be able to continue enjoying great value but with no compromise."

She went on to say: “Besides lowering the prices of hundreds of our products, we're also passing on additional savings to our customers when the prices we pay fall due to food inflation dropping. We’ve already lowered the prices of dairy products, household goods such as toilet paper, and canned vegetables as a result of inflation falling on those particular items.

"This is the third time we’ve cut the prices of hundreds of products this year due to our record £100m investment in lowering prices.  We’ve also launched new meal deals this year including our  first lunchtime meal deal, and steak and pizza meal deals giving customers more ways to maximise the value they get from shopping with us.  Meal Deal sales have tripled so far this year."

https://www.waitrose.com

Good news for fruit and veg lovers! Aldi has got your back with more price cuts

Yes, Aldi does have the backs of fruit and veg lovers because Aldi, already known as the UK’s cheapest supermarket, has lowered the prices on an extensive range of fruit and veg products.

From now on fruit and veg loving shoppers can enjoy even lower prices on items such as apples, bananas, spinach and courgettes, plus on a range of Specially Selected products like Cotton Candy Grapes. The latest price drop, reportedly the largest round of cuts Aldi has announced so far this year, representing around one third of its produce range, has seen 55 items fall by an average of around 11%.

The move is the latest of over 100 prices Aldi's reduced in the past several months and follows on from news from Which? confirming Aldi as the UK’s Cheapest Supermarket for the 15th month in a row.

On a basket of goods, Aldi was the cheapest at £65.21, £14.30 lower than the most expensive supermarket, Waitrose.

You'll remember that That's Food and Drink recently covered news that Aldi announced the opening of its 1,000th store as part of its commitment to expanding its store footprint across the UK.

Said Julie Ashfield, who is the Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK: “Our promise to our customers is we will always keep our prices as low as possible. We remain fiercely committed to doing this. Now and always.

“This latest price drop is part of our efforts to ensure that healthy, high-quality groceries are accessible to everyone. That will always be our mission, and it’s why we continue to see shoppers switch to Aldi.”

www.aldi.co.uk.

More Reasons to Shop at Morisons as it kicks off 'More Month': Four weeks of industry leading deals and money saving offers

Morrisons is helping customers stock up, budget and bank extra loyalty card points with the launch of ‘More Month’ this month, September. They are available both online and in-store. 

More Card customers will have access to more exclusive offers than ever before, with an average discount of over 30% on cupboard staples such as breakfast cereals and lunch box fillers, as customers get back into their life routines during the month of September. 

Stock up items like confectionery pouches have also been included ahead of Halloween and Christmas and customers can now find More Card Exclusives in Morrisons petrol filling stations, too. 

Extra ‘More Points’ will also be available to customers on a range of branded products for the first time ever, plus a wider selection of Morrisons own brand products. 

Once a customer has saved 5,000 points, they'll receive a ‘Morrisons Fiver’ which can be redeemed on a future shop. For example, customers can earn:

400 points when they buy 1.75l Coke

300 points on Dolmio sauces 750G

1,800 points on Huggies Drynites (carry packs)

500 points on selected wines

150 points on Morrisons 12 British Beef Meatballs 340G

600 points if they purchase a meal of the day in a Morrisons café.

Customers can continue to earn points when shopping at Morrisons Market Street counters, where trained and skilled colleagues prepare fresh food, daily.  Offers include 100 points on sweet treats like brownies, doughnuts and a variety of loaves at the bakery and 500 points when customers buy three products at the Deli counter.  

Morrisons Fish Fridays and Steak Saturdays, where More Card customers can get 20% off fresh fish or British steaks from the Market Street counter are also continuing following positive feedback from customers. (EDITOR: Steak Saturdays? Time for a trip to our local Morisons at the weekend, I think!)

Also, Morrisons is reducing over 170 prices across the store this week. That's its eighth round of price reductions this year, so far.

Since January, Morrisons has committed to having over 1,000 prices lowered and locked every week to help tits customers plan their budgets without worrying unduly about price fluctuations.  

Rachel Eyre, who is Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Morrisons, said: “Customers tell us September is a chance for them to ‘reset’ and try new routines after the more expensive summer months.  

"We also know saving for Christmas is already on their minds and so we've launched ‘More Month’  to help.  We’ve added industry leading exclusive offers to items our customers buy weekly, plus products to stock up on ahead of the festive season.  Customers can also benefit from More Points on branded and own brand products and on top of that we are continuing to cut prices across our stores.”

Morrisons More Card launched in May 2023 and gives loyal customers even More Reasons to shop at Morrisons.  Customers can earn points on selected products and counters in store and online as well as 5 points for every 1 litre of fuel purchased in a Morrisons petrol filling station.  

As well as More Card Exclusive offers, customers are rewarded with regular, personalised deals on the categories they say matter most to them including meat, dairy and impulse buys.  Once a customer has saved 5,000 points, they earn a Morrisons Fiver which they can also opt to save for a special occasion or convert to Fivers straight away.

More Month offers are available in all of Morrisons 499 supermarkets and the majority of products can be found online, too.

morrisons.com

Aldi cuts prices of fruit and veg

Already the UKs cheapest supermarket, Aldi has cut the prices on a range of fruit and veg products.

This week, shoppers can enjoy even cheaper prices on items such as strawberries, tomatoes, potatoes and spinach. 

Fruit and veg items in Aldi’s Everyday Essentials range are included in this latest price drop, which has seen items fall by an average of about 9%.

The move is the latest of in excess of 100 price cuts Aldi has introduced over the past two months.

Julie Ashfield, who is Aldi's MD of Buying at Aldi UK, said: “Every week we're working very hard to make new savings to pass on to our customers and help ensure we always offer them the lowest grocery prices we possibly can.

“We know shoppers are having to make difficult choices at the moment, so we at Aldi are doing what we can to offer the lowest prices possible. That’s why shoppers continue to switch to Aldi from every other supermarket.” 

Consumer group Which? named Aldi as the UK’s cheapest supermarket in July for the 14th consecutive month. On a basket of goods, Aldi was the cheapest supermarket at £71.22, which was £16.02 lower than the most expensive supermarket, Waitrose.

Tesco slashes more prices, and this time it’s good news for parents, too

Today, Tesco has  announced another round of price cuts, with prices sliced on over 50 products as it continues to pass savings on to customers.

This time round parents will be set to see some of the biggest benefits, with Tesco slashing the cost of some Pampers nappies by 16% and cutting prices across a range of branded and own-brand baby products from Johnsons Baby Shampoo to Florence and Fred Cotton buds. In total, this week Tesco is reducing the prices of almost 60 products available in its larger stores, with a quarter of the cuts in the baby aisle.

But its not just parents who can make savings. Other products seeing some of the biggest reductions are six packs of Tesco yoghurt drinks (down 17%), Tesco Garlic Mayo (cut by 14%) and Tesco Kind and Pure Facial Cleansing Wipes (reduced by 19%).

This is part of Tesco’s commitment to pass on savings to customers whenever possible. Tesco announced cuts on 500 lines in June and has continued to cut prices on hundreds of products in recent weeks, with a wide variety of products including milk, pasta, cooking oil and broccoli now at lower prices.

Tesco Chief Product Officer Ashwin Prasad said: “We're aware that household budgets remain under pressure, and so I'm really pleased to announce price cuts across a further range of products, including key products popular with young families.

“This latest round of price cuts is just another sign of our commitment to pass on savings to our customers wherever we are able, and we will continue to work with our suppliers to bring down prices on the items that our customers put in their trolley or basket week-in, week-out.”

The cuts are the latest action from Tesco to support customers amidst current cost-of-living pressures. Earlier this month Tesco announced that it was replacing more than 50 branded lines stocked in Express stores with more keenly-priced alternatives (many of them own-brand) to help save shoppers money.

UK households see green shoots of recovery as disposable income rises, points out Asda

The latest figures from Asda’s Income Tracker shows the financial pressures facing UK households eased slightly during last month, with a 4.5% increase in disposable incomes year-on-year - marking the strongest annual growth rate since September 2021.

In July, the amount households had to spend on themselves after paying taxes and essential bills, was up by £9.48 a week compared on the same period a year prior.

Compared with the previous month, disposable income picked up by £6.09 per week, taking the average disposable income to the highest it has been since March 2022 at £218 per week.

The improvement in household spending power was due to the easing of inflation down to 6.8% in July compared to 7.9% the previous month. This was predominantly due to lower energy prices, while lower food and non-alcoholic beverage prices also contributed to the monthly slowdown.

But despite these recent improvements, family disposable income remains firmly below the levels experienced prior to the cost-of-living crisis, down by £25.99 per week for the average household compared to July 2021.

There are also notable differences between households, with those aged 30-49 feeling the pinch the most as spending on essentials like food, housing costs and utility bills, was 9.4% higher in July compared to a year earlier. 

On average, these households spent £726 on essentials per week in July - £135 per week more than the average spend on essentials for all households.

In contrast, older households aged 65+ enjoyed a 7.8% increase in average disposable incomes in July compared to a year earlier. This reflects their stronger gross income growth following the recent uplift to the state pension and smaller rises in the cost of essentials.

Asda has pledged to continue to support families during the cost-of-living crisis by keeping prices under control and is monitoring the situation and launching new propositions to provide customers with more value every time they shop.

Asda won the Grocer 33 pricing award for the 26th consecutive year last month and has recently revealed it was cutting the prices of over 200 own-label lines by an average of nine percent. The products include a whole host of fresh fruit and vegetables, frozen meat and fish products, cupboard staples and popular ready meals, too.

Asda's also extended its immensely popular kids eat for £1 cafes offer until year's end of the year. It's served over two million meals to kids since it launched the initiative last June.

www.asda.com

Great news from Aldi. Over 30 products have reduced prices

Even though Aldi is already the UK’s cheapest supermarket, it's cut the price of over 30 household grocery staples.

From now on, Aldi shoppers will pay even less for fresh produce items including apples, oranges and peaches.

Essential items covered include butter, spread, canned food, personal hygiene products and pet treats are also included in the latest price drop, which has seen items fall by an average of some 7%.

The move is the latest of over 130 prices Aldi has reduced over the past two months across its entire range.

Consumer group Which? has named Aldi as the UK’s cheapest supermarket in July for the 14th consecutive month. On a basket of goods, Aldi was the cheapest at £71.22, £8.37 cheaper than Tesco and £16.02 lower than Waitrose. On average, shoppers save 12% on a basket goods by shopping at Aldi compared with the traditional Big Four.

Julie Ashfield, who is MD of Buying at Aldi UK, said: “Our promise is that we will always offer the lowest grocery prices and we’re doing everything we can to pass savings on to our customers. As Britain’s cheapest supermarket, shoppers are switching to Aldi from every other supermarket.”

www.aldi.co.uk

Shock new figures from Asda reveal UK regions outside London suffering most with cost-of-living struggle

Most recent data from Asda’s Income Tracker show the squeeze on household disposable incomes is much more severe for families living in certain parts of the UK than others, with households in Northern Ireland living on average weekly disposable income of just £95.

The decrease in disposable income has been particularly evident for low-income families, with 40% of UK households in negative income last month, so their take home pay didn't cover spending on bills and essentials. 

Families in Northern Ireland, the North East and the West Midlands struggled the most during the second quarter, when average weekly disposable incomes were at £95, £133 and £163 respectively, well below the UK average of £208 across the quarter to 30 June.

In addition to these regions, other areas of the UK that also saw a decline in disposable income during the quarter were the South East (excluding London), East of England and Wales.

Those regions faring worse than others during the cost-of-living crisis tend to be characterised by a greater concentration of spending on consumption categories that have seen high inflation recently. They also have lower employment rates or a higher concentration of employment in lower paid or low wage growth occupations than other parts of the UK.

In contrast, many families living in London fared better with rising living costs and have seen disposable incomes rise by 5.8% year-on-year to an average of £272 per week during the same period. A key factor behind this rise is the strong labour market and concentration of higher paying jobs in the capital city.

While family disposable income as a whole across the UK rose by £5.74 a week in June to an average of £210 per week, a 2.8% increase compared to the same period last year, rising living costs continue to outstrip wage growth for the majority of households that are outside our capital. 

Asda continues to support families across the UK and last week announced it was cutting the prices of in excess of 200 own-label lines by an average of nine percent. Products include a host of fresh fruit and vegetables, frozen meat and fish products, cupboard staples and popular ready meal options.

Kris Comerford, who is Asda’s Chief Commercial Officer, commented: “We know families are continuing to feel the pinch financially, especially as they head toward the long summer holidays, and so they're looking for help to make their grocery budget stretch a bit further. Whenever there's a chance for Asda to help them make their money go further by lowering prices, we'll continue to do this.”

Asda's also extended its massively popular ‘Kids Eat for £1’ café meal offer until the end of the year. Since launching this initiative last July, Asda has served 2 million meals from its cafes and invested £1.3m subsidising the offer to keep the meal prices at £1. 

Asda recently added a selection of half priced adult meals to the menu, thus giving a family of four the chance to enjoy a meal in any Asda café for as little as £8.50 in total.

www.asda.com

Sainsbury’s invests £15m on household staple price

Sainsbury’s is investing £15m to cut the price of cupboard staples like rice and pasta to assist customers with managing their budgets. 

It will also become the only supermarket to offer Freefrom pasta at the same price as standard pasta as part of these latest price cuts. 

This latest round of reductions is part of Sainsbury’s commitment to keep prices low on the high-volume products that make the most difference to its customers. Sainsbury’s will continue to make price cuts on popular essential products throughout the rest of the summer.

Sainsbury’s is also announcing that all by Sainsbury’s ‘happier and healthier’ whole chicken breast fillets will now be included in its Aldi Price Match for the first time ever. This follows the commitment in March 2023 that all by Sainsbury’s chickens will have 20% more space than the industry standard, meaning customers can be certain they'll be getting the best of both worlds. Keen prices on chicken, but with no compromising on chicken welfare.

Rhian Bartlett, Food Commercial Director at Sainsbury’s, said: “As the cost-of-living challenges continue, we remain dedicated to lowering prices on the essential products that make the biggest difference to our customers.”

“In the last two years we’ve invested £560 million in keeping prices low and more recently we’ve reduced the price of high-volume essentials including bread and butter, milk, tuna and toilet rolls, too."

He went on to say: "These latest price cuts will help reassure customers we'll continue to pass on savings as soon as we see the wholesale price of food fall. Customers will find great deals when they shop with us and they don't need to go elsewhere to get the best prices on their everyday food essentials.”

However, Sainsbury's are emphasising that the price reductions for customers doesn't mean they'll pay farmers any less.  

A spokesman said: "We work closely with farmers to help them navigate cost pressures while continuing to invest in keeping prices as low and competitive for our customers as we can."

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk.

Price cuts in Morrisons

In line with a number of other supermarket chains, Morrisons has announced cuts in the prices of nearly 50 food items, with an average price cut by over 25% 

As part of what it's dubbing "a rolling wave of price cuts to help with the cost of living", Morrisons has announced a new round of reductions, the sixth so far this year, which will apply to products in all its supermarkets and includes summer favourites, cupboard fillers and fresh essentials.

47 high-volume products have been cut in price by an average of over 25%, with the new prices being held for a minimum of eight weeks to help customers get more for their money.  Morrisons has invested £26 million in today's cuts to deliver market leading prices on key products and reinforce its commitment to saving customers money wherever possible. 

The price cuts include fresh items such as mince, tomatoes and butter, cupboard staples such as squash and cereal and picnic classics like pitta breads and scotch eggs.

Last month, Morrisons reduced or held the price of a further 1,000 products which will remain locked low until mid July. Offers have also been applied to fuel in recent weeks with customers being able to get 5p off every litre after spending £35 in store or online. 

As well as cutting the prices on products, Morrisons recently relaunched its More Card loyalty programme to allow customers to collect points on fuel and selected products in store which can be converted into ‘Morrisons Fivers’ and spent in store or online.  Morrisons programme of market-leading exclusive offers, which launched last October for loyalty card members, also remains a key feature of the new scheme.  

Rachel Eyre, who is the Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Morrisons, said: “Providing great quality products at affordable prices for our customers is a key priority at Morrisons. Our steady flow of deep and broad price cutting programmes, together with our new More Card loyalty scheme, are helping customers save money on their weekly shop. Today’s price cuts include picnic items to help our customers make the most of the warm weather and we’ve not forgotten the fridge and cupboard essentials either.”

www.morrisons.com

Shopping at Waitrose just got a bit cheaper

Waitrose has reduced the prices on over 200 everyday, summer favourites as part of a £100m investment to lower customers’ bills. 

The new lower prices are to be found in every aisle and include cupboard staples like British butter and tomato ketchup to Fairtrade golden caster sugar, plus as British cocktail sausages, salads and ice cream for your summer barbecues and picnics.

Half of these products are now at least 10% cheaper than previously. The price cuts have been made without compromising on the usual exceptional quality or Waitrose values, which include sourcing higher welfare meat and commitments to our British farmers.

A spokesperson said: "This is the second time we’ve lowered hundreds of prices this year. In February, we cut prices on over 300 products at the start of a record £100m investment. This move has already attracted new customers to shop with us."

Charlotte Di Cello, Commercial Director for Waitrose, commented: “We’re investing millions in lowering the prices of everyday food across our aisles so our customers will benefit every time they shop with us. 

“But it’s summer, so our customers are telling us they also want delicious treats for picnics and barbecues to be more affordable, so we’ve lowered the prices of British double cream, ice cream, ice lollies, and meringues made with free range eggs.

“We’ve made these cuts with absolutely no compromise on the high quality, high welfare, and delicious recipes our customers expect from us. 

“We’ll still react to any drops in food inflation and pass on savings to our customers as soon as the prices we pay begin to fall, and we’ll continue to pay farmers a fair price for their products too.

"Besides our investment in prices, our Essential Waitrose range of over 900 products is the largest value range of any UK supermarket."

www.waitrose.com