Money-saving shoppers are getting a taste for own brands, with seven in 10 consumers intending to stick with them when the cost of living crisis starts to ease, according to research.
More than 70% of families have no intention of reverting to more premium labels even if inflation starts to ease, a new report by Attest has found. The consumer research platform's boss Jeremy King reckons the switch signals bad news for big brands, many of which have been best-sellers for years.
“Faced with new pressures, British shoppers have evolved in behaviour, and have acquired a real taste for supermarkets’ own-label brands,” Mr King told Grocery Gazette. “This shift is driven by rapid price rises for all grocery and household products and may be permanent for several important sub-segments. Well-known brands that can’t compete on price are the losers here and face significant challenges.”
Read more: Heinz shares ketchup crown with a brand less than half the price
He added: “The big-name brands need to provide consumers with new, compelling reasons not to switch to own-label rivals, or in some cases motivate them to come back to big brands. This puts supermarket chains under serious pressure to either offer the best deals that beat other retailers and attract consumers, or to extend their own-label product lines to offer ever-increasing appeal to inflation-weary consumers."
Consumer group Which? regularly uses a panel of taste testers to put supermarket staples such as ketchup and coffee through their paces, with sometimes surprising results. Here we've rounded up the most recent tests:
Tomato soup
- Brand score: Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup, 69% - £1.70 per 400g tin (43p per 100g)
- Value pick: Sainsbury’s Cream of Tomato Soup, 81% - 57p per 400g tin (14p per 100g)
- Which? says: "If you're a Heinz loyalist swapping your soup could prove worthwhile. Sainsbury's tomato soup was crowned the winning tin in our taste test, with tasters rating the flavour, texture, appearance and aroma better than Heinz, despite costing a third of the price per 100g. It scored an impressive 81% overall, vs Heinz's 69%. If you get through two tins a week, ditching Heinz for Sainsbury's could save you more than £100 a year."
Pasta sauce
- Brand score: Jamie Oliver Tomato & Chilli Pasta Sauce, 66% - £2.75 per 400g jar (69p per 100ml)
- Our value pick: Tesco Tomato & Chilli Pasta Sauce, 70% - 85p per 500g jar (17p per 100g).
- Which? says: "Ready-made pasta sauce can be handy for quick and easy weeknight dinners, but our taste test showed that paying a premium won't necessarily get you a prime jar. Jamie Oliver's tomato and chilli pasta sauce, one of the most expensive we tested, was beaten on flavour by Tesco's cheap 85p jar, which costs a quarter of the price per 100g. Tesco's jar is 100g bigger too, so you'll also get more for your money - perfect if you're feeding a crowd.
Pepperoni pizza
- Brand score: Chicago Town Tiger Crust Double Pepperoni Pizza, 71% - £3 per 320g pizza (94p per 100g)
- Our value pick: Aldi Carlos Thin Crust Stonebaked Double Pepperoni Pizza, 71% - £1.25 per 330g pizza (38p per 100g)
- Which says: "If you're looking for a way to get your Friday night pizza fix for less, Aldi's £1.25 double pepperoni pizza is our best-value pick. There's a solid £1.75 saving per pizza compared to Chicago Town (that's more than £90 a year if you buy one a week). It contains less salt, calories and fat and, according to our consumer panel, tastes just as good - so you won't have to compromise on that crispy base or all-important cheesy topping. While not quite as cheap as Aldi's offering, budget pizzas from Asda and Tesco beat Chicago Town on taste and are also excellent options."
Strawberry jam
- Brand score: Bonne Maman Strawberry Conserve, 75% - £2.95 per 370g jar (80p per 100g)
- Our value pick: Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Strawberry Conserve, 76% - £2 per 340g jar (59p per 100g)
- Which? says: "Sainsbury's £2 strawberry conserve was one of the top-rated jams in our taste test, scoring high marks for its delicious fruity flavour and good consistency. Our tasters thought it was on par with Bonne Maman's pricier jar, showing that upgrading to a brand doesn't necessarily get you a tastier jam. Most other supermarket jams scored reasonably well, so if you're looking for ways to cut costs at breakfast time, it's worth trying the own-label version at your local supermarket."
Decaffeinated instant coffee
- Brand score: Nescafé Decaff Instant Coffee, 66% - £4.50 per 200g jar (£2.25 per 100g)
- Our value pick: Sainsbury's Rich Roast Decaffeinated Instant coffee, 69% - £2.25 per 200g jar (£1.13 per 100g)
- Which? says: Big brand Nescafé is more expensive than most supermarket own label decaf coffees, but our results showed tasters couldn't really tell the difference. Our panel thought Sainsbury's coffee, which is one of the cheapest we tested and costs half the price, tasted just as good, and it scored better overall than Nescafé. Several other supermarket coffees also scored well."
There were, however, some cases where the big brand holds its own against cheaper rivals. For example, Quorn was Which's top-rated vegetarian chicken substitute, while branded spreads Flora and I Can't Believe it's Not Butter were the overall favourites in its dairy-free spread taste test.
A Which spokesperson said: "Switching from your beloved brand favourites might seem like a wrench, but our taste tests have uncovered plenty of great-tasting supermarket own-label alternatives worth trying. Ditching the brands can add up to some surprisingly big savings. Some of our top own-label picks are a fraction of the price of branded options. Swapping from Heinz tomato soup to our recommended Great Value soup, for example, could save you more than £100 a year, based on using two tins a week."
Read more:
- Poorest shoppers are bearing the brunt of supermarket price hikes
- From McDonald's to Five Guys, the healthiest burgers revealed
- Sainsbury's to sell surplus boxes of fruit and veg for just £2 amid cost of living crisis
- Fast forward to 2042, when a Greggs sausage roll could cost nearly £2
- Cheap Tesco and Asda pizzas beat brand leader in taste test
