Sainsburys today revealed it will price match up to 200 Aldi products in its smaller stores as the pre-Christmas supermarket wars continue to build.
The chain said it was the first UK supermarket group to extend a scheme matching the prices of Aldi on hundreds of products into its convenience stores.
Sainsburys said its Aldi Price Match scheme would become available in 1,400 of its shops - now including 800 smaller stores in addition to 600 supermarkets already.
The firm said Sainsburys Local stores would now carry up to 200 products price matched to Aldi, including milk, bread, butter, pasta, rice, chicken and tuna.
Baked beans, chicken, fresh herbs and vegetables also feature - with Sainsburys announcing the move ahead of publishing its first-half financial results this Thursday.
The chain said the scheme was focusing on the go-to items households buy most often and also includes jam, peanut butter, honey, steak, potatoes and vegetable oil.
Sainsburys said its Aldi Price Match scheme would become available in 1,400 of its stores
Sainsburys - which has a 15 per cent share of Britains grocery market, trailing only Tesco - is upping the competitive ante ahead of the key Christmas trading season.
| PRODUCT | PRICE MATCHED TO ALDI |
|---|---|
| by Sainsburys British Fresh Chicken Breast Fillets Skinless & Boneless 640g | £4.42 |
| by Sainsburys Tuna Chunks in Spring Water 145g | 65p |
| by Sainsburys 21 Day Matured Rump Steak 225g | £3.38 |
| by Sainsburys 5% Fat Beef Mince 500g | £3.49 |
| by Sainsburys British Semi Skimmed Milk 2.27L (4 pint) | £1.45 |
| by Sainsburys Spaghetti Pasta 500g | 75p |
| by Sainsburys Basmati Rice 500g | 92p |
| by Sainsburys Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce 400g | 40p |
| by Sainsburys Vegetable Oil 1L | £1.99 |
| by Sainsburys British Butter, Unsalted 250g | £1.89 |
| Kingsmill 50/50 Medium 800g | £1.30 |
| by Sainsburys Chopped Tomatoes Can 400g | 47p |
| by Sainsburys Baking Potatoes x4 | 79p |
| by Sainsburys Aubergine | 95p |
| by Sainsburys Iceberg Lettuce | 89p |
| by Sainsburys Whole Cucumber | 89p |
| by Sainsburys Large Ripe & Ready Avocado | 89p |
| by Sainsburys Farmhouse Kitchen Adult Dog Smooth Pâté with Chicken 300g | 65p |
Under chief executive Simon Roberts, Sainsburys has benefited from a strategy to match Aldis prices on over 500 products in its supermarkets.
It has also launched more offers for members of its Nectar loyalty scheme.
The new Aldi price matching replaces Pocket Friendly Prices, but Sainsburys Nectar price scheme will still exist only in supermarkets and not local stores.
Retail expert Richard Hammond, chief executive and co-founder of analytics firm Uncrowd, told MailOnline today that customers would benefit from the move as long as the savings are genuine.
He said: First up, it does cost the retailer more to sell from small high street stores. They lose economies of scale, and their location costs, things like business rates and rent, are higher than they are out of town.
Up to now, its been the accepted norm to pass those costs on to us customers. That someone would eventually break with that was inevitable, but its been a very long time coming.
And Im not surprised to see Sainsburys be the one to do this. Theyre the plucky number two in UK grocery; motivated and ready to take risks.
So long as the savings are genuine, jurys out on that right now, then the real winner is us customers.
Tesco, Asda, and Morrisons all price match Aldi on some products in their larger stores.
Mr Roberts said today: Since setting out to put food back at the heart of our business four years ago, weve invested nearly £1billion in value.
Our Next Level Sainsburys strategy is about giving customers more of what they come to Sainsburys for – outstanding value, unbeatable quality food and great service.
Sainsburys said its Aldi Price Match scheme would become available in 800 smaller stores
In our Sainsburys Locals, weve worked hard to offer market leading prices on essential items and popular breakfast, lunch and dinner staples.
ANALYSIS: Its been a very long time coming
By RICHARD HAMMOND
First up, it does cost the retailer more to sell from small high street stores.
They lose economies of scale, and their location costs, things like business rates and rent, are higher than they are out of town.
Up to now, its been the accepted norm to pass those costs on to us customers.
That someone would eventually break with that was inevitable, but its been a very long time coming.
And Im not surprised to see Sainsburys be the one to do this.
Theyre the plucky number two in UK grocery; motivated and ready to take risks.
So long as the savings are genuine, jurys out on that right now, then the real winner is us customers.
Retail expert Richard Hammond is the chief executive and co-founder of analytics firm Uncrowd
We have also refreshed our Local store layouts and rebalanced space, increasing the number of products in store by 7 per cent and adding more food on the move products – the primary mission of most convenience shoppers.
When youre shopping in Sainsburys Locals, you can be sure of excellent value, quality and choice.
With Christmas just around the corner, we know that every penny counts and we are committed to helping our customers make the most of the festive season.
It comes after recent research for BBC News suggested that a frozen pizza is about a quarter more expensive in a convenience store compared with a main supermarket.
Ananda Roy from consumer analysis company Circana told the BBC: What we are now seeing is the growth of convenience.
The challenge is for greater transparency on price in convenience stores, especially where loyalty and promotion prices are not the same as those offered in other stores.
In September, an investigation by the broadcasters Panorama programme claimed that dozens of Tesco products the supermarket price-matched to Aldi were not like-for-like.
Items including chicken nuggets, blackcurrant squash and chicken kievs were found to contain less of their main ingredient compared to their Aldi equivalents, according to the study.
Panoramas research found that Tescos chicken nuggets contained 39 per cent chicken compared to 60 per per cent in the Aldi version, while its chicken kievs had 44 per cent chicken compared to Aldis 57 per cent .
Tesco said at the time that it constantly reviewed the quality of its products and had clear processes in place to ensure its price-match products were comparable to Aldi.
Under chief executive Simon Roberts (pictured), Sainsburys has benefited from a strategy to match Aldis prices on over 500 products in its supermarkets
While Sainsburys, Asda and Morrisons also offer Aldi price-matched products, Panorama did not find clear evidence of a pattern of consistent differences in the amounts of main ingredients in their items compared with the discounters equivalents.
Last month, Sainsburys said it would be hiring 20,000 more shop workers, warehouse staff and drivers for the Christmas period as the retailer prepares for festive shoppers.
Seasonal staff, will be employed for up to three months during its busiest time of year. The UK-wide roles include 18,000 at Sainsburys and 2,000 at Argos.
The positions range from shop workers, including restocking shelves, staff in warehouses to pick and prepare stock, and drivers for home deliveries.
Staff will be employed on fixed-term contracts ranging from three weeks to three months.
Hourly pay for in-store and warehouse employees ranges from £12 to £13.50, depending on the location and the role, and between £13 and £14.65 for drivers.