Shoppers using Morrisons Daily convenience stores are paying £832 more than customers who go to the big Morrisons supermarkets, according to new analysis.
Consumer magazine Which? has put together new figures which look at the cost of supermarket ‘convenience stores’ or corner shops versus going to the larger supermarkets.
They found that major supermarkets like Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s all charge a premium for people shopping at smaller ‘local’ stores instead of their full sized counterparts.
Morrisons has its own chain of local supermarkets and Which? Bought 42 key food and drink products at Morrisons Daily and compared them to the price of Morrisons’ normal supermarket.
They found that shoppers were paying £16 more per shop for using Morrisons Daily, which would be £832 a year for someone doing that shop every week.
Three products were discounted for loyalty scheme members in Morrisons’ bigger stores but not at its convenience stores, so the average price difference for More cardholders would have been slightly higher at 22 percent than for non-members (21 percent).
Which? also found that Sainsbury’s and Tesco Express charged higher prices for their convenience stores, but Morrisons’ was the widest gap.
Which said: “The total cost of our basket of groceries averaged £16 more at Morrisons Daily than Morrisons supermarkets, meaning you could shell out a massive £832 more over the course of a year if you bought that selection of products once a week.
“As Sainsbury’s and Morrisons don’t currently offer member-only discounts in their convenience stores, the total average cost of the convenience basket was the same regardless of membership: £111.83 at Sainsbury’s and £119.29 at Morrisons.
“Of all the products we looked at, a tin of own-label chickpeas had the steepest markup, costing £1 at Morrisons Daily compared to 49p in the supermarket’s bigger branches – more than twice the price.
“A tub of Philadelphia soft cheese cost 63% more at Morrisons Daily, 26% more at Tesco Express and 20% more at Sainsbury’s Local than at the supermarkets’ bigger stores.”
Which? Retail editor Ele Clark said: “Unfortunately, many people are without easy access to transport or online deliveries which leaves them reliant on smaller nearby stores.
“Convenience stores may often be easier to travel to and handy for shoppers who need to stock up on a few essentials, but people who have to use them regularly will be spending significantly more over the course of a year than those with access to larger supermarkets.
“Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Tesco have committed to offer a broader range of budget and lower-priced ranges in their convenience stores as a result of Which? campaigning, but this latest research shows that more can still be done to increase the range of affordable product options for those consumers who rely on convenience stores.”
A Morrisons spokesman told PA: “We’re always working hard to keep prices down and competitive for our customers while maintaining high standards and availability in all our stores. Last year, we became the first supermarket to introduce our budget ‘Savers’ range into Morrisons Daily stores nationwide.
“We know our customers and business partners would like to see the More Card accepted in Morrisons Daily stores, so we are actively working on introducing the offer into our convenience estate in the coming months.”