UK watchdog says supermarket loyalty scheme prices offer genuine savings

27/11/2024 18:11

        British supermarket prices offered through loyalty schemes do provide genuine savings, the competition regulator said on Wednesday.
        
        Loyalty schemes such as market leader Tesco's "Clubcard Prices" and No. 2 Sainsbury's "Nectar Prices" offer significantly lower prices for members and have proved hugely successful for the UK's biggest supermarkets.
        
        The vast majority of UK shoppers now use them and an increasing number of products are covered by the schemes.
        
        The Competition and Markets Authority launched a review in January to consider their impact on shoppers. In July, it said it did not expect to identify widespread evidence of promotions that mislead consumers.
        
        It said on Wednesday it had analysed around 50,000 grocery products on promotion and found very little evidence of supermarkets inflating their "usual" prices to make loyalty promotions seem like a better deal.
        
        The CMA found shoppers can make an average saving of 17% to 25% buying loyalty priced products at the five supermarkets examined - Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Co-op and Morrisons.