Sainsbury's offers: major UK supermarket to price match Aldi on groceries items in local stores in deals push

• Sainsbury’s will match Aldi’s prices on up to 200 products in its convenience stores
• The supermarket says it is the first in the UK to implement such a commitment
• Prices on essentials like milk, bread and chicken will now be equal to or lower than Aldi’s in 1,400 Sainsbury’s Local stores
• The price-matching effort will replace the Pocket Friendly Prices campaign that launched last year

A major UK supermarket has pledged to match Aldi’s prices on up to 200 of its products in its convenience stores, responding to pressure for more deals in local shops.

Sainsbury’s - the UK’s second-largest supermarket - says it is the first in the country to make this type of commitment.

Shoppers can now find prices on essentials like milk, bread, butter, pasta, chicken, steak, and vegetables that are equal to or lower than Aldi’s in approximately 1,400 Sainsbury’s Local stores.

The new price-matching initiative could bring some welcome relief, especially for essential goods, and customers should find more consistent and competitive pricing compared to Aldi, recognised by Which? as the UK’s cheapest supermarket in 2023.

It builds on Sainsbury’s existing price-match initiative, which covers over 500 own-brand and branded products in its larger stores and online, and replaces the supermarket’s Pocket Friendly Prices campaign, launched last year to promote lower prices in its convenience stores.

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Simon Roberts, chief executive of Sainsbury’s, said: “In our Sainsbury’s Locals, we’ve worked hard to offer market-leading prices on essential items and popular breakfast, lunch and dinner staples.

“We have also refreshed our local store layouts and rebalanced space, increasing the number of products in store by 7% and adding more food-on-the-move products – the primary mission of most convenience shoppers.”

Roberts added that Sainsbury’s had invested nearly £1 billion “in value” since shifting its focus back to food four years ago. The supermarket did not disclose how much it was costing to extend the Aldi price-match scheme.

Are local stores more expensive?

The new price-matching commitment won’t necessarily affect every item, and while it could reduce the cost of certain essentials, shoppers at local stores may still face higher prices items not covered by the price-match scheme.

A recent study by Which? found that consumers who buy their food at convenience stores could be paying up to a fifth more than at larger branches of the same supermarket.

Loyalty card members of Sainsbury’s could be paying an average of 14% more at Sainsbury’s Local than at larger stores, the survey conducted last month showed.

Which? said price disparities were likely to have a bigger impact on people without easy access to transport or online deliveries, making them more reliant on smaller nearby stores.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on Sainsbury’s new price-matching initiative with Aldi! Do you think this will make a difference for you as a shopper? Share your experiences and opinions in the comments section.