According to the results of a survey carried out by UFC-Que Choisir, E.Leclerc confirms its status as the cheapest supermarket in France. Casino is in last place.
Like every year, UFC-Que Choisir has just published its list of the cheapest supermarkets of France. To establish this classification in a context marked by inflation, the investigators of UFC-Que Choisir noted the prices charged in the 1,006 stores in mainland France and the 2,885 off-site sites belonging to the eight large-scale retailers, namely Auchan, Carrefour, Casino, Cora, Colruyt, E.Leclerc, Intermarch and Systme U.
Each basket consisted of 98 national brand and private label products. From September 11 to 25, 2021, the investigators selected fresh non-dairy products, dairy products, sweet and savory groceries, drinks, frozen foods and even hygiene products.
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Price disparities within the same brand
Like last year, E.Leclerc tops this ranking with a average basket 348 euros against 408euros for Casino, dead last. The leading retailer is followed by Intermarch (356 euros), Colruyt (363 euros) and Systme U (365 euros).
According to this list, a difference of 60 euros, or 17%, spare E.Leclerc from Casino. UFC-Que Choisir also specifies that significant price disparities have been observed between certain stores of the same brand. Our volunteers have noticed a maximum discrepancy of 19 euros from one Cora to another for the same shopping list. A difference that explodes at Casino (107 euros) and Carrefour (101 euros), details the association.
A difference that can be explained in particular by the geographical location of a particular store. Thereby, prices are higher in le-de-France or in the South-East than in Brittany for example, where the strong presence of Leclerc allows consumers to pay less.