Aldi has been named the cheapest supermarket in the UK in 2024, with an average household basket full of groceries and other essentials coming in at £100.29 in December.

According to the study, shoppers at the German discounter saved an average of £393 over the year compared with customers at Waitrose — the most expensive alternative.

Lidl came in second, with the same shopping list costing £1.19 more at £101.48 with the supermarket’s loyalty scheme Lidl Plus, and £1.27 more (£101.56) without, according to consumer group Which?.

The same items cost £129.83 at Waitrose — almost £30 more expensive than at Aldi.

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The basket of 56 groceries cost £113.22 at Asda, £111.22 at Tesco (TSCO.L) with a Clubcard, £112.13 at Sainsbury’s (SBRY.L) with a Nectar card, £114.01 at Morrisons with a More card and £120.83 at Ocado (OCDO.L).

Harry Rose, editor of Which? magazine, said: “Our research shows Aldi has retained its crown as the UK’s cheapest supermarket in 2024.

“After the added expense of the festive period, many households will be looking to cut costs. Our analysis shows that by switching supermarkets, shoppers can make significant savings, highlighting the advantages of shopping around where possible."

The list of 56 items included both branded and own-brand items, such as Birds Eye Peas, Hovis bread, milk and butter. Special offers were included, but any multi-buys were not.

The study also found Asda to be the cheapest supermarket for a larger trolley of 158 items — but only for nine months of the year.

The research explained this is because the supermarket is facing a “strong challenge” from Tesco Clubcard prices, which made Tesco cheaper in three out of the seven months since Which? began including loyalty prices in its analysis from June 2024.

Waitrose was the most expensive supermarket for a larger trolley of items every month in 2024 apart from September. In December, a Waitrose shop cost a total of £458.12 on average.

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