Shoppers spend £15 less at Lidl and Aldi than big four supermarkets for large grocery shops

SHOPPERS who do their 'big shop' at a bargain store rather than at one of the big four supermarkets - Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons - save as much as £15 per trip.

The average spend on a big shop at discounters Aldi and Lidl is £38.76, compared with £53.16 across the big four, new data shows.

And shoppers spend even more at retailers Waitrose and Marks & Spencer, with the average spend £58.52.

Data from analysts Nielsen shows the average spend in bargain stores such as Poundland, B&M and Home Bargains was £31.28, compared to £58.85 in Waitrose.

The figures are based on purchases made by 15,000 British households, on shops where more than 20 items have been bought.

One reason why shoppers spend less at the discount stores, as well as the cheaper prices, could be because there is less choice.

Discounters carry a range of up to 2,000 lines, whereas larger supermarkets carry a range of 25,000 to 30,000 items, including value and premium lines. 

As a result, people who shop at the big four or M&S and Waitrose are more likely to pick up premium items and brands.

Nielsen's UK head of retailer and business insight, Mike Watkins, said: "In simple terms, when people do a big shop at the discounters they spend £15 less than they do at one at the big four, as the shopping basket from a discounter contains a different range of products with more private label, and £20 less than at Waitrose and M&S."

Thanks to its bargain prices, Aldi and Lidl's share of big shopping trips is now 13 per cent, and this is predicted to double within five years.

Consumers make five per cent more grocery trips than they did two years ago, resulting in the average amount spent on the big shop dropping five per cent to £50.58.

Mr Watkins said: "The move to 'little and often' is a symptom of busier and more time-pressured lifestyles as well as financial concerns of wasting food.

"Thus, supermarkets have made huge investments in the convenience store format to meet this demand and offer a greater variety of food and drink. Their historical role for purely immediate or 'distress' purchasing is long gone."

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