THE UK’s best supermarket has been revealed and it’s beaten Aldi and Tesco to the top spot.
M&S has been crowned the best in-store supermarket by consumer group Which? for the fourth year in a row.
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It was also awarded the coveted title of Which? Recommended Provider for the first time in recent years.
A total of 3,206 shoppers took part in the annual survey which considers a range of factors including store appearance, queue time, delivery and the choice of substitutions.
M&S came out on top of the in-store ranking, with a customer score of 79%.
The supermarket is the only retailer to earn five stars for the quality of its own-label and fresh products.
Read more on supermarkets
One customer said: “It’s a real treat to shop there – great quality products that I don’t mind spending a bit more on.”
The supermarket has focused on revamping and expanding its foodhalls and freezing the price of shopping basket staples in a bid to target customers doing their weekly shop.
This may have helped it to achieve three stars for value for money and earning it the coveted Which? Recommended Provider title.
Tesco was close behind with a customer score of 74%, with shoppers praising the in-store experience and range of items.
The supermarket earned four stars for its in-store appearance, product range and stock availability.
But it missed out on being a Which? Recommended Provider due to its policy of not letting under-18s access lower Clubcard prices.
Which? is calling on supermarkets to widen access to their loyalty schemes, particularly when they unlock big discounts.
Many exclude shoppers due to their age, address requirements or need to have online access.
Aldi, Iceland and Waitrose came in joint third with a score of 72%.
The German discounter was recently crowned “cheapest supermarket of 2024” by Which? and shoppers praised its discount prices.
How to save on your supermarket shop
THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they’ve been reduced.
If the food is fresh, you’ll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching “finest” or “luxury” products and instead going for “own” or value” type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they’re misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you’re on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
But shoppers complained about the long queues at checkouts and said they feel rushed by cashiers.
Meanwhile, others said their local supermarket was messy and poorly stocked.
Customers said the same was true at Lidl, which came in seventh with a score of 69%.
Asda and Morrisons both scored 66%, which put them at the bottom of the in-store table.
The major supermarkets were the only two that failed to score more than three stars in any category.
Several Morrisons customers said the stores are cramped and the checkouts are poorly-manned.
One said: “Morrisons has gone downhill.”
Meanwhile, Asda scored two stars for everything from value for money, customer service, stock availability and store appearance.
But its returning CEO, Allan Leighton, has pledged to “restore Asda’s DNA”, which will include cutting prices.
The company has recently caught up to rivals in the Which? cheapest supermarket of the month league tables.
Reena Sewraz, Which? retail editor, said: “Our supermarket survey shows that a good shopping experience and quality products really matter to consumers – and M&S beating its rivals to the top spot shows some shoppers are prepared to pay a bit more for that.
“Aldi, Lidl or Iceland may be the preferred choice for those who prioritise affordability above all else.
“For people lucky enough to have a choice of supermarkets, mixing and matching to get the right mix of quality and bargain prices might be the right approach.”
When it came to online shopping Ocado and Tesco tied at the top of the table with a joint score of 79%.
But Tesco missed out on being named a Which? Recommended Provider due to the consumer group’s concerns over its Clubcard accessibility.
Supermarket loyalty schemes – which has one?
MOST UK supermarkets have loyalty schemes so customers can build up points and save money while they shop.
Here we round up what saving programmes you’ll find at the big brands.
- Iceland: Unlike other stores, you don’t collect points with the Iceland Bonus Card. Instead, you load it up with money and Iceland will give you £1 for every £20 you save.
- Lidl Plus: Lidl customers don’t collect points when they shop, and are instead rewarded with personalised vouchers that gives them money off at the till.
- Morrisons: The My Morrisons: Make Good Things Happen replaces the More Card and rewards customers with personalised money off vouchers via the app.
- Sainsbury’s: While Sainsbury’s doesn’t have a personal scheme, it does own the Nectar card which can also be used in Argos, eBay and other shops. You need 200 Nectar points to save up £1 to spend on your card. You need to spend at least £1 to get one Nectar point.
- Tesco: Tesco Clubcard has over 17million members in the UK alone. You use it each time you shop and build up points that can be turned into vouchers – 150 points gets you a £1.50 voucher. Here you need to spend £1 in Tesco to get one point.
- Waitrose: myWaitrose also doesn’t allow you to collect points but instead you’ll get access to free hot drinks, and discounts off certain brands in store.
Reena Sewraz added: “For supermarkets that have loyalty schemes, this includes ensuring as many customers as possible are able to access the lower prices they offer without being excluded by age, address or digital access requirements.”
Meanwhile, Ocado recently expanded its own-label range and is the only retailer that sells M&S-branded products.
A loyal customer told Which?: “Ocado gives the best all-round experience of all the online retailers.”
Waitrose was awarded a score of 78% and received several four-star ratings but many customers complained about its expensive prices.
Sainsbury’s came third online with a score of 76%.
It was named a Which? Recommended Provider as shoppers felt that it offered better value than Waitrose.
Meanwhile, a customer said its delivery drivers are “always really friendly and helpful”.
At the bottom of the table were Amazon Fresh and Asda, which scored 68% and 66% respectively.
Amazon Fresh received a two-star rating for value for money, product ranges and communication.
Although some customers praised its same-day and next-day delivery service.
Meanwhile, Asda scored just two stars in seven out of ten categories.
None of the supermarkets included in the survey were awarded five stars for value for money.
Which? suggests this is likely because many households are still feeling the pinch when it comes to the price of groceries.
Although food inflation fell for much of last year, prices are still higher than before the cost of living crisis.
Meanwhile, factors at home could mean that food inflation rises.
Supermarkets have warned that the upcoming minimum wage increase, higher National Insurance contributions and a new packaging tax will cause prices to rise for shoppers.
The British Retail Consortium has also warned that food prices could climb by 4.2% on average in the second half of this year.
