Study shows British supermarket prices are cheapest in western Europe

British supermarkets are the cheapest in western Europe, according to a new study that compared a basket of the same goods in five countries.

The study by the UK watchdog Which? found that key household items cost less in Britain than they do than in France, Germany, Italy and Spain, telegraph.co.uk reported.
 
The report used Tesco prices to make the European comparison and the15 branded items in the basket included a jar of Nescafé coffee and a box of Kellogg's Special K.  However, most of the items were household cleaning and personal care products.

In Britain it costs £552 over the course of a year but the same basket costs £684 in Germany, £690 in France, and £786 in Italy.
 
The Telegraph said the study undermined the common perception that British consumers suffer from the fact that four huge supermarket groups (Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons) control three-quarters of the entire grocery market.

Andrew Opie, British Retail Consortium food director, said: “These figures confirm UK retailers are fiercely competitive and offer customers the best value of any major European country.”

“Politicians should recognise the dangers of unnecessarily piling costs onto UK retailers, such as an Ombudsman. That can only undermine a system which is clearly delivering for UK customers and keeping their bills down.”

Which? said the impact of currency difference was stripped out of the study by adjusting prices to take into account the spending power in each country.

Source: foodbizdaily.com

Publication date: 11/20/2009

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