M&S has topped an annual supermarket satisfaction survey, beating Waitrose and fighting off competition from discounter Aldi.
The traditional “big four” of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons fell to the bottom half of the ranking of the 10 major grocers for their in-store experience, suggesting that the middle ground between quality and affordable food is less appealing to shoppers during a cost-of-living crisis, Which? said.
Co-op was the worst performer, achieving 61% and just one star for value for money and two stars for availability, range and quality.
M&S got the highest overall customer score of 77% for its in-store offer, earning praise for the quality of its own-label and fresh products, customer service and store appearance.
However, both M&S and Waitrose fell down on value for money, achieving just two out of five stars.
Waitrose and Aldi came joint second with scores of 73%, highlighting the success of the German discounter’s efforts to compete with the high-end grocers.
Aldi scored four stars for value for money and the quality of its fresh products but just two stars for stock availability and queue waiting times.
Iceland and Lidl rounded out the top five, both scoring 69%.
Which? asked more than 3,000 members of the public about their in-store and online shopping experience at the biggest supermarkets, looking at a range of factors including store appearance, product range and value for money.
Ocado topped the ranking for best online grocer retailer, achieving a customer score of 81%.
Iceland and Waitrose scored joint second for online shopping with scores of 76%, both scoring highly for availability of delivery slots, range of products and customer service at collection and delivery.
Morrisons fell to the bottom of the table for online shopping, scoring 66% and only two stars for value for money, stock availability and the choice of substitute items.
Which? Retail editor Reena Sewraz said: “Our results highlight how many shoppers are prioritising value for money above all else but, for those who can afford it, high-quality products and a positive shopping experience still really matter.
“None of the supermarkets received five stars for value in-store, but the discounters still led the way in this category.”
Which? surveyed 3,007 UK adults in October.
