Tesco might hold a huge edge over its rivals in the UK in terms of market share, but they aren’t No. 1 in terms of approval from consumers.
Discount chain Aldi, sitting at No. 4 overall in share according to the latest data from Kantar Worldpanel, has been named by British shoppers as their favourite supermarket in new polling from YouGov.
The news is not surprising given the chain’s positive feedback from customers in other polls and because of prices that often undercut the competition. In a still tense economic environment, Aldi and Lidl are winning customers. Both have gained more than a million shoppers from rivals over the past year. And with new stores opening quickly, they are expanding their reach too.
“We know that with the rising pressures of the cost of living, customers are looking for ways to save more than ever, while still looking for high-quality affordable food,” Richard Thornton, Communications Director at Aldi, said. “Aldi continues to offer great quality products at unbeatable prices, which is why we believe British shoppers have voted us the nation’s favourite supermarket yet again.”
The unique polling from YouGov, which culls data from millions of responses to its questions of consumers, shows the popularity of opinions on each supermarket. Aldi led the way with an 81% approval rate and was followed by Lidl at 78%. Tesco checked in at 76% and was followed by Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, each at 74%. The top 10 was rounded out by Iceland (71%), M&S Food (71%), ASDA (69%), Tesco Express (67%) and The Co-operative Food (64). Waitrose was a disappointing 12th with just a 56% approval rating. Online grocer Ocado managed just a 45% positive opinion from shoppers.
Though Tesco is still the far-and-away leader in share at 27.4%, Aldi and Lidl have made quite a dent in the past decade on the original Big Four (including Sainsbury’s, ASDA and Morrisons). Aldi has gained more than 6% over that span, while Lidl is up nearly 4.5%. By contrast, Tesco has dropped 3% while the others are down between 2% and 3%.
The allure of low prices – despite the efforts of those Four to challenge Aldi and Lidl with matches on certain products – is driving customers to Aldi. It was again recognized as the UK’s Cheapest Supermarket by Which? last year, important at a time when inflation continues to top 10%.
