Supermarket value range price tracker: 109 items got more expensive in September - biggest increases revealed

UK supermarkets yet again hiked prices on over 100 value range grocery items last month, with customers facing rises of up to 65% for items including frozen fish, pasta sauce and gammon joints.

NationalWorld is tracking prices for over 750 value range items across Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and Aldi. Since April we have recorded massive price increases across the stores’ cheapest products. Month after month, our research has consistently found in excess of 100 price rises being imposed on food, drink, and household cleaning products.

Between the first Monday of September and October, we were able to take a price snapshot of 600 items (the others were unavailable, with no prices listed), finding 109 of these (18%) had seen price rises during that time. Only 10 items went down in price.

Since April, 64% of value range products have become more expensive. It comes amid warnings that millions of families are struggling to pay their bills, with energy prices rising at the start of October and many homeowners now facing soaring mortgage costs.

Last month, the average price rise seen for those items that got more expensive was 11.2%. But five products saw rises of at least a third during September –  including a pack of frozen fish which went up from £1.99 to £3.29 – with Tesco and Sainsbury’s imposing some particularly hefty hikes on their customers.

What brands are included?

NationalWorld’s research covers more than 750 grocery products from the value ranges at each supermarket.

At Asda these were the Smart Price and Farm Stores brands, which are currently being replaced with a new range called Just Essentials.

Aldi meanwhile has an Everyday Essentials line – although many products that are not part of this specific range have a price point similar to budget line items at other supermarkets –  while Morrisons is home to Morrisons Savers.

Tesco and Sainsbury’s both ditched their value lines in recent years, replacing them with a collection of in-house brands in an effort to keep up with German rivals Aldi and Lidl.

At Tesco these include Ms. Molly’s (confectionery and treats), Stockwell & Co (food cupboard essentials) and Creamfields (dairy products).

Sainsbury’s meanwhile boasts Hubbard Foodstores (stock cupboard essentials), J. James and Family (fresh and frozen meat and fish) and Stamford Street (chilled products such as ready meals), among others.

Aldi

At Aldi there were 12 price rises across 57 Everyday Essentials products (21%, or one in five) that were in stock and had price data available on both Monday 5 September and Monday 3 October. The average rise across these 12 products was 8.7%, which was the lowest across all five supermarkets.

There was only one price decrease last month. The 10 products with the biggest price rises were:

• Everyday Essentials easy peelers 600g – 75p up to 89p, rise of 19%
• Everyday Essentials tomato cherry 250g – 48p up to 55p, rise of 15%. This was on offer in September. It was 50p in July and August, but had been 48p before this. 
• Everyday Essentials plums 400g – 68p up to 75p, rise of 10%. Was previously 59p before rising to 62p then 69p, and back to 68p.
• Penne pasta 500g – 32p up to 35p, rise of 9%. Had been 29p in April.
• Medium slices white bread 800g – 36p up to 39p, rise of 8%
• Medium sliced wholemeal bread 800g – 36p up to 39p, rise of 8%
• Everyday Essentials white grapes 500g – £1.27 up to £1.35, rise of 6%. Had been £1.06 before rising to £.124 then £1.27. 
• Everyday Essentials red grapes 500g  – £1.27 up to £1.35, rise of 6%. Had been £1.06 before rising to £.124 then £1.27. 
• Everyday Essentials potatoes 2.5kg – 99p up to £1.05, rise of 6%. Had been 89p. 
• Everyday Essentials smoked back bacon bumper pack 1kg – £3.79 up to £3.99, rise of 5%. Had been £3.49.

Since April, Aldi has raised the prices of 32 out of 66 items with price data for that period, or 48% of its offering. The average rise was 17.1% during that time (excluding items that stayed the same, or saw price reductions).

Asda

Asda raised prices on 31 out of the 172 products (18%, or more than one in six) we were able to track between the start of September and October. Only one product saw a price drop during the same period.

The average price rise across those 31 products was 11.2%, but the steepest hike was at 38%. The 10 products with the biggest price rises were:

• Just Essentials (formerly Smart Price) kitchen roll 2 pack – £1.09 up to £1.50, rise of 38%. Had been 99p. 
• Just Essentials (formerly Smart Price) cheese and bacon quiche 400g – £1.40 up to £1.79, rise of 28%. Was previously £1.25, then £1.29 before rising to £1.40. 
• Just Essentials (formerly Smart Price) cheese and onion quiche 400g – £1.42 up to £1.79, rise of 26%. Has been £1.35 then £1.32 before rising to £1.42. 
• Just Essentials (formerly Farm Stores) 8 pork sausages 454g – 96p up to £1.20, rise of 25%. Was previously 83p then 86p. 
• Just Essentials easy peelers 600g – 75p up to 89p, rise of 19%. Was 72p in June. 
• Just Essentials (formerly Farm Stores) kiwis 6pk – 88p up to £1, rise of 14%. Was previously 67p then 78p, 82p, 85p then 88p.
• Just Essentials (formerly Farm Stores) raspberries 150g – £1.49 up to £1.69, rise of 13%. 
• Smart Price brown sauce 460g – 56p up to 62p, rise of 11%. Was 45p in April and May before rising to 56p. 
• Just Essentials (formerly Farm Stores) plums 400g – 68p up to 75p, rise of 10%. Had been 59p in April then 62p then 65p before rising to 68p. 
• Just Essentials (formerly Farm Stores) white potatoes 2.5k – 99p up to £1.09, rise of 10%. 

Since April, 60% of Asda’s products (94 out of 156 items we could track over that period) saw price rises, with an average rise of 16.7%.

Morrisons

Between September and October, we were only able to collect price data for 47 items at Morrisons. Several Savers items appear to have been discontinued, including some that were only brought in in recent months when the company expanded its value range.

Of those 45 items, 10 (21%, or more than one in four) saw price rises, with an average hike of 10.1%. Only two items became cheaper. The 10 products with the biggest price rises were:

• Savers chocolate chip cookies 250g – 39p up to 51p, rise of 31%.
• Savers soft buttery spread 1kg – £1.69 up to £1.89, rise of 12%. Had been £1.38 in April before rising to £1.50 then £1.69. 
• Savers fromage frais 12 x 55g – 80p up to 88p, rise of 10%. Had been 85p before falling to 80p.
• Savers pasta & cheese sauce 100g – 37p up to 40p, rise of 8%. Was 35p between June and August before rising to 37p in September. 
• Savers spaghetti bolognese 400g ready meal – £1.35 up to £1.45, rise of 7%. Was £1.20 then £1.30 before rising to £1.35 in August. 
• Savers macaroni cheese 400g ready meal – £1.35 up to £1.45, rise of 7%. Was £1.30 between June and July. 
• Savers sausage & mash 400g ready meal – £1.35 up to £1.45, rise of 7%. Was £1.30 between June and July.  
• Savers cottage pie 400g ready meal – £1.35 up to £1.45, rise of 7%. Was £1.30 between June and July. 
• Savers chicken curry 400g ready meal  – £1.35 up to £1.45, rise of 7%. Was £1.30 between June and July. 
• Savers toilet rolls 6 per pack – £1.45 up to £1.50, rise of 3%. Fluctuated between £1.25 and 97p between April and August before rising to £1.45 in September. 

We have only been able to gather price data for 22 items at Morrisons between April and September. Its value range offering was initially slim, before being expanded. Of those 22 items, 18 (82%) have seen price rises. This was the highest proportion of any supermarket, and the average rise was also the highest of any company, at 21.7%.

Tesco

At Tesco, we were able to track the price of 199 items between the start of September and October. Of these, 34 (17%, or one in six) got more expensive. There were also five price decreases.

The average rise was 12.3% across those 34 products, while the sharpest rise was 65%. The 10 products with the biggest price rises were:

• Hearty food Co. 4 battered white fish fillets 500g – £1.99 up to £3.29, rise of 65%. Had been £1.89 between April and August. 
• Hearty Food Co. tomato & herb pasta sauce 440G – 39p up to 57p, rise of 46%. 
• Ms Molly’s strawberry swirl cheesecake 375G – 65p up to 85p, rise of 31%. 
• Ms Molly’s lemon swirl cheesecake 375G – 65p up to 85p, rise of 31%.
• Stockwell and Co granola 1kg – £1.45 up to £1.75, rise of 21%. Was £1.39 in April and May. 
• Stockwell and Co salad cream 450ml – 48p up to 57p, rise of 19%. 
• Hearty Food Co. pasta in tomato & onion sauce 110G – 34p up to 40p, rise of 18%.
• Creamfields Greek style natural yoghurt  500G – 65p up to 75p, rise of 15%. Was 49p in April before rising to 55p, then 59p, then 65p from July. 
• Woodside farms cooking bacon 500G – 75p up to 85p, rise of 13%.
• Ms Molly’s flapjack traybake 360G – £1 up to £1.10, rise of 10%. Has been 80p in April and May. 

Over the six months between April and October, prices rose for 130 out of 198 items (66%) at Tesco, with an average rise of 19.4%.

Sainsbury’s 

There are 134 value range items NationalWorld could gather price data for at the start of September and October, of which 21 (16%, or one in six) saw price rises. One saw a price decrease.

The average rise was 10.1%, with the biggest rise recorded at 44%. The 10 products with the biggest price rises were:

• J. James & Family pollock white fish steaks 520g – £2.25 up to £3.25, rise of 44%. Was on offer in September, however. Had been £3.20 in April and May before rising to £3.25. 
• Hubbard’s foodstore baked beans in tomato sauce 400g – 21p up to 25p, rise of 19%
• Hubbard’s foodstore gravy granules 170g – 48p up to 54p, rise of 13%. Was 45p between April and June.
• Mary Ann’s Dairy strawberry yoghurt 450g – 85p up to 95p, rise of 12%. Was 75p between April and July. 
• Sainsbury’s Allcroft pork pies x4 200g – 90p up to £1, rise of 11%. Was 85p between April and May. 
• Hubbard’s foodstore English mustard 180g – 45p up to 50p, rise of 11%.
• The Greengrocer red berry mix 400g – £1.60 up to £1.75, rise of 9%.
• Hubbard’s foodstore pasta shapes 1kg – 64p up to 70p, rise of 9%. Had been 58p in April and May. 
• Sainsbury’s Mary Ann’s Dairy mild cheddar slices 200g – £1.09 up to £1.19, rise of 9%.Was 99p between April and August. 
• The Greengrocer frozen berry mix 1kg – £2.75 up to £2.99, rise of 9%. 

Over the six months since April, 94 out of 135 products (70%) we have been tracking at Sainsbury’s have become more expensive. The average rise, for those that had price increases, was 21%.

If you rely on value range items and have been struggling with rising prices, we want to hear from you. Email [email protected]