Waitrose rated Britain's top supermarket for third year

High-end retailer Waitrose has been rated Britain's best supermarket for the third year in a row '“ however, budget brands Aldi and Lidl were close behind.

A Waitrose spokeswoman said it was pleased that the hard work done by store staff was recognised. Picture: Contributed

A survey carried out by consumer group Which? found that while top-end retailers were given the best overall scores for customer satisfaction, the German discounters beat major supermarkets including Tesco and Sainsbury’s to take the third and fourth spots.

Marks & Spencer took second place, and also topped the watchdog’s first ever convenience store satisfaction survey with its Simply Food stores.

Meanwhile, Iceland was rated as the best supermarket for customer experience online for the second consecutive year, with customers said to be particularly happy with “convenient delivery slots and friendly drivers”.

Which? asked shoppers to rate stores based on factors including appearance, how easy it was to find products and the quality of fresh products. The overall score was also based on whether or not customers would recommend them to a friend.

Morrisons is the biggest climber from last year’s survey, moving up from eighth to fifth, while Asda – which was the cheapest supermarket for 11 months in 2016, according to regular Which? price checks – came last, below Tesco in eighth place and Sainsbury’s in seventh. The stores were ranked lower due to many of customers’ favourite products not being in stock, difficulty finding items and low scores on value for money.

Richard Headland, editor of Which? magazine, said: “With concerns over rising prices the competition among supermarkets is fiercer than ever. While value for money remains a top priority, in-store appearance and the availability of quality and fresh products can also go a long way to satisfying shoppers’ needs.”

The consumer group also said Waitrose’s helpful staff had won over shoppers, and customers said its spacious layouts made groceries easy to find, generating its 75 per cent satisfaction rating.

M&S was just two percentage points behind due to the quality of its fresh and own-label items. The store’s regular “dine in” offers which include a meal for two and a bottle of wine were also found to be a particular hit with shoppers.

A spokeswoman for Waitrose said: “We are really happy our partners’ hard work in our shops has been recognised.”