The Supermarket Sleuth

Christmas is coming and we are already into food and present buying!

It looks as if British shoppers are being more cautious with the money they spend this year. And Aldi is launching two very unusual products in its stores, with Tesco bringing back a big favourite after it vanished from shelves 40 years ago.

UK shop prices fall at the fstest rate for more than three years

So we start with some good news just in time for Christmas. We also learn of some interesting developments in both Asda and Sainsbury's and new supermarkets due to be opened by Christmas by Lidl GB and Aldi.

Why are there so many empty spaces on UK supermarket shelves?

We discover what's causing the empty shelf space. We also learn that Aldi is still the cheapest supermarket and it's also been named the Best Overall Grocer.

Has the planned merger of North and South Foodstuffs ground to a halt or will there be an appeal?

The New Zealand Commerce Commission had said No to a planned merger of the two Foodstuffs companies based in Auckland and Christchurch. But Foodstuffs can appeal in court. What happens next? In the UK Tesco is doing better and Coronation Street has a new supermarket.

Are supermarket specials genuine and are some offering 'illusory' discounts

This time we briefly visit Australia to discover that its two major supermarket chains are being sued by a government department allerted to promotions alleged to breach consumer law. And the UK is told that some Aldi price-match claims may not always be what they seem.

 

Will the New Zealand Commerce Commission ever be able to harness the power of the country's supermarket duopoly?

We discuss the progress NZ's Commerce Commission is having in bringing the country's supermarket duopoly to heel and we take a look at what's been happening in the UK at Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Ocado.

Warm weather snap boosts supermarkets sales and Asda admits it has problems

We catch up with how supermarekt sales went in the last four weeks and learn that one of the discounters has stopped online sales  and another has given up its refill stations.

More and more British supermarket shoppers switch to the discounters

We find that Asda is struggling and considering initiatives to boost their business and we learn of the smaller group planning to increase temperatures. We also discover that one cereal brand has recruited The Chasers.

Do you trust supermarket loyalty schemes and what's developing in New Zealand?

Aldi is the UK's cheapest supermarket yet again, which supermarket has sold almost 200 million free-range eggs in the last 12 weeks and do you know it may soon be possible for you to pay for what you buy at your supermarket simply by having your palm scanned? This time we also learn of the possibility of a significant third player entering the New Zealand supermarket industry.

Are we or the supermarkets benefitting from fall inflation?

For a change this time we catch up on a possibly supermarket company merger on the cards for New Zealand. We also find out which supermarkets have been winning awards and we discover that EV charging is now becoming an important player in the supermarket industry.