Waitrose named top UK grocer, Asda wallows in bottom place

Waitrose has been rated the best UK in-store supermarket for the second year in a row in Which?’s annual supermarket satisfaction survey.

The grocer scored a maximum five stars in almost every category – from ease of finding products and fast-moving queues, to friendly staff and the appearance of its shops – and was only let down by a two-star score for value.

However, in the survey of more than 14,000 of Which?’s members, Asda was rated the “worst”, finishing at the bottom of the consumer champion’s rankings for in-store grocery shopping.

The consumer group found that shoppers like Asda’s range of goods in store, but wanted more recyclable packaging and products without packaging, as the store received only one star for this aspect.

It also scored just two stars for the quality of its own-label products.

Aldi and Lidl were rated best for value, both receiving five stars. Which? said the two supermarkets are seen as “the best for those wanting more for their money”, with “rock-bottom” prices making customers much more forgiving of their less-impressive traits, such as long queues, or unhelpful or hard-to-find staff.

Harry Rose, editor of Which? Magazine, said: “The quality of fresh products is the single most important factor for our members when choosing where to shop in store, and this is just one of the areas where shoppers have told us that Waitrose excels.

“There’s clear room for improvement for the ‘big four’ – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda – as they continue to trail behind Waitrose and M&S for experience, and behind Aldi and Lidl on value.”