Retailers drop the price of Christmas dinner vegetables as low as 8p
The UK retail price war hit a new fervour over the festive period with many supermarkets selling vegetables for mere pennies.
Popular festive veg lines were used as a tool to tempt shoppers in as retailers battled for their share of the all-important Christmas pound.
Britain’s largest supermarket chain, Tesco, said it had invested millions of pounds in offering seven key veg lines at Clubcard Prices in large stores. Some of the discounts represented more than a £1 reduction on the regular price.
A 1kg bag of carrots, 2kg of potatoes, 500g of Brussels sprouts and 500g of parsnips, as well as broccoli, swede and red cabbage, were all sold for just 15p each.
Tesco – which stressed it was funding the promotion itself and that prices to growers were unaffected – also noted that all of its onions, potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, parsnips and carrots were 100 per cent British over the festive period.
Asda went even lower with its reductions, with 2kg of potatoes, 1kg of carrots, 500g of sprouts, 360g of broccoli and 500g of parsnips each selling for only 8p up until Christmas Eve.
The chain said it was making the move after research showed 69 per cent of Brits were worried about the cost of Christmas.
Also at 8p – having been reduced from 15p from 19 December – was Aldi, which had 1kg of carrots, 500g of sprouts, 2kg of white potatoes, red and white cabbages, and broccoli for the new low price.
The discounter noted that the price of its extra value Christmas dinner had also been reduced this year, from £1.80 per head to £1.76. The total price for a Christmas dinner for six at Aldi, which included a small British fresh turkey, was £10.66.
Lidl’s festive veg prices were pitched at 15p, with its range including 300g of echalion shallots in addition to the familiar carrots, parsnips, sprouts, swede and white potatoes.
And at Morrisons from 18-24 December, shoppers with a More card were able to pick up 1kg of carrots, 500g parsnips, 500g of sprouts and a whole swede for 10p each, all sourced from Britain.
The supermarket used its press release to reiterate that it has committed £1.4 billion to British farming each year, as well as giving its farmer suppliers discounts in its stores and cafes.
