Shop Smart: The Most Affordable UK Supermarket Own-Brands

New research has revealed the best value supermarket own-brands in the UK, with Aldi coming out on top.

The research, conducted by saving experts BravoVoucher.co.uk, analysed 15 items from each big UK supermarket’s own-brand range to determine which has the lowest overall cost. These items included brown bread, butter, beans, chopped tomatoes, milk, and ten others. The items were compared per 100g, per litre, or per item to create a fair ranking.

#1 Aldi

The supermarket with the best value own-brands is Aldi, with an overall cost of £5.64. The German multinational discount store, traditionally known as ‘Albert + Discount’, offers the best value own brands, beating out its competition on seven out of 15 items.

Aldi stood out for its brown bread, which costs just £0.06 per 100g, a tin of beans, which costs £0.07 per 100g, and, most significantly, sliced cheese, which costs £0.70, which is £0.30 cheaper than its closest competitor.

#2 Asda

Asda offers the second-best value for own-brand products, with an overall cost of £6.92. The UK superstore, traditionally known as ‘Associated Dairies’, offers a wide selection of products, such as Just Essentials, to help customers cut costs. Of the 15 products, Asda beat out competitors with three.

Some of its cheapest items include a tin of soup at £0.14, cordial at £0.63 per litre, and tea bags at £0.46 per 100g, which are more affordable than any other supermarket.

#3 Tesco

The supermarket with the third-best value for own-brand products is Tesco, with an overall cost of £7.25. Tesco provides many of its own-brands in different ranges, such as Hearty Food Co., Creamfields, and Eastman’s.

The cheapest items from these ranges include brown bread at £0.09 per 100g, pasta sauce at 0.14g per 100g, and sliced ham at £ 1.00 per 100g.

Rank	Supermarket	Average Unit Price	Total Cost
1	Aldi	£0.39	£5.64
2	Asda	£0.46	£6.92
3	Tesco	£0.48	£7.25
4	Morrisons	£0.50	£7.43
5	Sainsbury’s	£0.50	£7.51
6	Co-op	£0.65	£9.72
7	M&S	£1.00	£14.94

#4 Morrisons

Morrisons provides the fourth-best value for own-brands, with an overall cost of £7.43. Some of Morrisons’ own-brand prices came from the supermarkets' Savers range which helped slash costs of items across their stores.

Some of Morrisons’ cheapest own-brand products include a tin of beans at £0.10 per 100g, a tin of chopped tomatoes at £0.12 per 100g, and eggs at £0.31 each.

#5 Sainsbury’s

In fifth place is Sainsbury’s, with an overall cost of £7.51. The store launched a new own-brand range, Stamford Street, in 2023 to provide excellent value to their customers amongst their original own-brand products.

Sainsbury’s cheapest products include chocolate cookies at £0.34 per 100g, white bread at £0.09 per 100g, and milk at £0.64 per litre.

#6 Co-op

Co-op is ranked the sixth-best value supermarket for own-brands, with an overall cost of £9.72. The Co-op, also known as ‘The Co-operative', is an affordable branch that has existed since 1844.

Its cheapest own-brand products include sliced ham at £1.00 per 100g, butter at £0.51 per 100g, and pasta sauce at £0.25 per 100g.

#7 M&S

The worst value supermarket for own-brands is M&S, with an overall cost of £14.94. M&S, known as ‘Marks & Spencer’, provides various cuisines across its many branches. The store is typically more expensive for products but still offers good value for affordable prices.

Its cheapest own-range items include eggs at £0.33 each, strawberry jam at £0.22 per 100g, and a tin of beans at £0.13 per 100g.

 Marco Farnararo, CEO and Co-Founder of BravoVoucher.co.uk, has commented on the findings:
“Own-label products are carried out exclusively by each supermarket to help people save money on various items. Due to economic uncertainty, such as the cost-of-living crisis, own-brand products have soared in popularity, and more shoppers have leaned towards cheaper products instead of leading brands.

“All major supermarkets have provided alternatives to their customers to save money on products that have increased in price due to inflation over the past year. Switching from your favourite brands can seem like a big move, but the money you save on items where you may not even taste a difference will dramatically cut down costs on your food shopping.

“Aldi seems to be running the own-brand show in the market at the moment, but with new innovative own-brand releases from other supermarkets, the competition is tight and, for some products, have equalled or beaten the current price of the German discount store.”