Waitrose tops shopper poll

Waitrose has been crowned the UK’s best supermarket, with discounters Aldi and Lidl also performing strongly.

The German retailers, which include cost-cutting and low prices among their strengths, were championed in a Which? survey ahead of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons.

But Waitrose came out top, closely followed by premium rival Marks & Spencer, in the research, which canvassed 13,025 shoppers.

The consumer watchdog asked customers to rank supermarkets on price, product quality, availability of goods and store environment.

Aldi received a score of 61 out of 100, with shoppers praising the freshness of its fruit and vegetables in particular, while Lidl also received the same score with customers saying frustrations about its limited range were made up for by its "wonderful bargains" and high-quality fresh vegetables.

Waitrose topped the poll with 79, with M&S on 64.

The Which? report said: "Shopping at Waitrose is a pleasure, according to several members. One loved its uncluttered stores with their wide aisles, and some rave about the quality of both its products and staff."

The big four supermarket chains received between 58 and 49 points, with Tesco criticised for the quality of its own-label goods while the “price wars” between the supermarkets put a number of consumers off.

Peter Vicary-Smith, the chief executive of Which?, said the success of some budget supermarkets proved “that savvy shoppers can make the most of their money without compromising on quality”.