Supermarkets ‘failing to stock budget ranges’ in their local c-stores

Supermarket giants are accused of failing to stock budget ranges in their small local stores, a consumer watchdog has said,

According to Which?, those who live near supermarkets’ smaller convenience stores are paying an even higher price as essential budget range items are hardly ever stocked in these smaller shops, even though two-thirds (66 per cent) of people earning under £21,000 shop there at least once a week.

The reports suggests that people with low mobility or no access to public or private transport to reach a larger supermarket are potentially being forced by them to buy more expensive food.

Which? reportedly conducted a mystery shop survey supermarkets chains Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco and their respective local convenience stores. Which? sent researchers to check the availability of a list of roughly 29 everyday budget items – including dried pasta, tinned tomatoes, fresh fruit and vegetables, minced meat and tinned fish.

On average, the supermarket stores had 87 per cent of the products Which? was looking for, or an equivalent product in the same range while in small Tesco Express, Sainsbury’s Local and Morrisons Daily convenience stores, the budget line items on the list were available less than 1 per cent of the time. Of the 35 smaller stores visited, 30 of them did not stock any budget items. The remaining five only stocked one budget range item each, states the report.

Furthermore, Which? checked the availability of budget essentials in three parliamentary constituencies considered a high priority- Don Valley in Yorkshire, North West Durham, in the North East, and Rhondda, in Wales. Across these three areas, Which? made 12 visits to four small stores and found that none of the items on the list of budget essentials were available in any of these stores.

Sue Davies, Which? head of food policy, said: “At a time when millions of people are struggling to put food on the table, it’s shocking that budget range foods are not available to people who can’t get to a large supermarket.

“Everyone should have access to affordable nutritious food no matter where they live.

“Which? is now calling on supermarket bosses to ensure budget ranges that support a healthy diet are available in convenience stores, especially in areas where people are struggling the most.

“They must also make it easier for all customers to work out which items offer the best value for money by making sure their pricing is clear and easily comparable.”

Reacting to the claims, a spokesperson for Tesco told Sky News that Express stores do not have the shelf space to accommodate all product ranges available in larger stores.