Budget supermarket Aldi, often touted as the UK’s cheapest, came joint-third following Which?’s recent survey on the best in-store retailer. Here’s the full list
Aldi has fallen from grace, after only ranking third in the best UK supermarket league tables. The budget retailer, which was crowned cheapest supermarket of the year earlier this month, was stripped of another win thanks to two major competitors.
It comes after consumer brand Which? surveyed more than 2,600 shoppers, asking them to rank in-store supermarkets on a whole host of factors. This includes store appearance and staff ‘availability and helpfulness’ and isn’t just focused on price. Luxury retailer Marks & Spencer won gold after landing an impressive 79 per cent customer score overall. While it was ranked only three stars for ‘value for money’, customers raved about the supermarket’s overall quality of its own-brand and fresh products, as well as the range it stocks, checkout queue times, and overall customer service.
Tesco came in a close second, with an overall customer score of 74 per cent. It scored less than M&S on several categories, including staff availability and helpfulness, store appearance, stock availability, and its self-service/ self-scanning facilities.
“Our 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,” said Reena Sewraz of Which? Retail. “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.
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One M&S customer raved about M&S, describing it as a ‘real treat’ to shop at the retailer. “[They have] great-quality products that I don’t mind spending a bit more on,” they added.
Aldi came joint third place, with a customer score of 72 per cent, along with Iceland and Waitrose. The budget retailer only received two out of five stars for its overall customer service, staff availability and helpfulness, store appearance, queue times, stock availability, self-scanning facilities, range of products, and overall quality of its own-label and fresh products. It only scored higher (four stars) when it came to value for money.
Best in-store supermarket of 2025
- M&S
- Tesco
- Aldi
- Iceland
- Waitrose
- Sainsbury’s
- Lidl
- Asda
- Morrisons
Which? also surveyed 1,062 members of the public, who are solely or jointly responsible for grocery shopping in their household from October – November 2024 – to figure out the best online supermarkets. Ocado and Tesco came joint first with an impressive 79 per cent customer score, followed by Waitrose and then Sainsbury’s.
Best online supermarkets of 2025
- Ocado
- Tesco
- Waitrose
- Sainsbury’s
- Iceland
- Morrisons
- Amazon Fresh
- Asda
In the battle of the supermarkets – which is your favourite? Let us know in the comments section below
