A Which? investigation has found that Tesco is the cheapest supermarket for branded wines if you have a Clubcard. An analysis of prices for 15 branded wines at major UK supermarkets (Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose) from 1 February to 30 April 2024 revealed Tesco’s Clubcard discounts made it the most affordable, with a total cost of £108.43 for the basket. However, without a Clubcard, Tesco’s prices were the highest at £120.67.
Asda was the second cheapest overall at £111.16 and had no loyalty scheme requirements for discounts. Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, and Waitrose also offer member-only discounts, but data on these were limited. Aldi and Lidl were not included as they don’t sell the brands in question.
The research also highlighted some potential issues with the duration and frequency of discounts, questioning their compliance with Trading Standards guidelines.
Discounts on wine used to be primarily offered at the end of the season when new vintages were arriving and there was excess stock to clear. Now, discounts are available throughout the year, mainly coinciding with holiday or celebration periods.
Supermarkets might consider adopting a strategy similar to M&S’s approach of everyday value prices. This method is less confusing for consumers and makes it easier for staff to keep shelf pricing up to date. In particular, I have recently noticed that Tesco’s shelf labels sometimes lag with outdated price offers, which can be frustrating for shoppers.
