Convenience stores offer a local lifeline for many people and are an easy alternative when looking to avoid the effort of doing a big shop. But our latest pricing analysis has shown that convenience comes at a steep cost – at a time when grocery prices are a big concern for many.
Which? analysed the prices of a trolley of own-label and branded items at the two largest traditional supermarket convenience chains, Tesco Express and Sainsbury's Local, and compared the costs with the same items at their larger supermarket counterparts.
Tesco prices varied the most, with our research showing that shoppers could be spending around 10% more over the course of a year at Tesco Express compared with larger Tesco stores or online.
How much more does it cost to shop at a convenience store?
We checked the price of popular groceries at large Sainsbury's and Tesco stores and their convenience store counterparts for every week of 2022.
Tesco vs Tesco Express
The weekly price difference was £15.73 on average, and if you were unlucky enough to pick the convenience store in mid-November (the week with the greatest disparity) then you'd have paid a difference of £19.78.
undefinedSainsbury's vs Sainsbury's Local
undefinedFind out more:Which groceries cost you more at convenience stores?
Our pricing analysis revealed products with steep mark-ups at both Sainsbury's Local and Tesco Express stores. The table below shows the 11 items with the largest proportionate differences between average prices over the year.
Tesco's own-label sweet potatoes had the biggest proportionate price difference, costing 37% extra on average at Tesco Express stores. The second-biggest difference was on Mr Kipling Bakewell Slices, which were, on average, 28% more expensive at Tesco Express.
Fans of Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup would have paid, on average, £1.37 at Sainsbury's Local compared with £1.15 at bigger Sainsbury's stores – a 19% difference.
If any of these items are regularly on your shopping list, we'd recommend picking them up at larger supermarkets or adding them to your online shopping.
undefinedAre any groceries cheaper at convenience stores?
A few of the products in our analysis were cheaper at convenience stores than at big supermarkets, so grabbing these at a small local store won't break the bank.
Anchor Spreadable Butter Tub (500g), Colgate Total Original Toothpaste (125ml) and Magnum Almond Ice Cream (4 pack) were all 3% cheaper, on average, at Sainsbury's Local than at Sainsbury's.
Tesco's own-label unsalted butter block (250g) was 2% cheaper, on average, at Tesco Express than at Tesco.
Find out more:What about other convenience stores?
We only had access to pricing data for Sainsbury's Local and Tesco Express for our analysis, but there are nearly 50,000 convenience stores across the UK.
Here we take a look at the news about other convenience stores.
Asda ExpressAmazon FreshMcColl's'We know the big supermarkets have the ability to take action'
The large differences in price show how challenging food shopping can be, especially for people who are more vulnerable to food insecurity, don’t shop online, or don’t have easy access to a larger supermarket.
Sue Davies, Which? head of food policy, said: 'Convenience stores offer a local lifeline for some shoppers, but Which? research shows shopping at a supermarket convenience shop rather than a bigger store comes at a cost – at a time when soaring grocery prices are putting huge pressure on household budgets.
'We know the big supermarkets have the ability to take action and make a real difference to people struggling through the worst cost of living crisis in decades. That's why we’re calling on them to ensure everyone has easy access to basic, affordable food lines at a store near them, can easily compare the price of products to get the best value, and that promotions are targeted at supporting people most in need.'
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/is-it-more-expensive-to-shop-at-tesco-express-and-sainsburys-local-convenience-stores-aOQah2Z8P2tw