Asda has declared itself the UK’s “biggest pound shop” after being named the nation’s cheapest supermarket for the 12th successive year.
Asda came out on top in both service and availability in heading the annual mystery shopping competition, according to The Grocer 33 survey.
In the accompanying awards, Morrisons returned to winning ways to scoop the awards for service and availability - although its victories were only secured in the final week of the five-year-long competition.
Morrisons and Waitrose both had 13 top store victories with a week to go but, following a new queue management system in its Livingston store, Morrisons won through.
Sainsbury’s had risen from the bottom of the availability league table to sit at the top for almost every week of the year, albeit with Morrisons in close pursuit. But two out-of-stocks in Sainsbury’s Loughborough store last week were enough to let Morrisons nip past its rival at the finish to reclaim the availability award.
Asda increased its lead in the basket versus basket competition with an average weekly shop this year costing £52.96, £1.34 less than at second-placed Morrisons. Last year, a Morrisons shop cost just 98p more than at Asda. Tesco came third with an average basket of £54.80, Sainsbury’s was fourth with £55.87 and Waitrose £62.47.
Asda chief merchandising officer Darren Blackhurst said: “Asda is the biggest pound shop in the UK. We have more than 7,000 products at £1, and the pound coin is highly visible through our stores. The magic of a pound is its simplicity. If customers see something that used to trade at, say £1.70 reduced to £1, it’s easy for them to know what they’re saving.”
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