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THE £800 POSTCODE PENALTY: ALDI REVEALS OVER 200 TOWNS ARE PAYING HUNDREDS MORE FOR GROCERIES

16 January, 2026

Families in over 200 UK towns are paying up to £2,437 more per year on their grocery shopping simply because they lack access to a discount supermarket, new analysis from Aldi reveals today.

The research identifies a significant “discounter gap” across Britain, with communities from Stonehaven in Scotland to Totnes in the South West missing out on the savings that shoppers with access to Aldi enjoy.

The analysis shows that households without access to Aldi – which has been named the UK’s Cheapest Supermarket by consumer champion Which? for the past five years – pay £826 more on average, rising to £2,437 in areas dominated by the highest-priced supermarkets. These figures are based on the average monthly cost difference between Aldi and either the average major UK supermarkets, or the most expensive UK supermarket, using the prices of a typical 68-item shopping basket tracked by Which?*.

The UK’s fourth-largest supermarket has mapped 220 locations across the UK where shoppers are facing a growing ‘postcode penalty’, with many paying significantly more for groceries because they lack access to a discount supermarket. These locations span every region of the country, including 35 towns in the South East, 30 in the East of England and 25 in Scotland.

Jonathan Neale, Managing Director of National Real Estate at Aldi UK, said: “No one should pay more for their weekly shop simply because of where they live. We believe every household should have access to high-quality, affordable food.

“With household budgets under intense pressure, local access to a discounter isn’t just convenient – it can save families hundreds of pounds a year. These findings show that expanding access to Aldi is one of the simplest ways to reduce the cost of living for many.”

Aldi has invested £650 million across Britain through its store opening and refurbishment programme in 2025, with each new site creating around 40 jobs.

The discounter also recently announced it would be doubling down on its investment in Britain with a £1.6 billion commitment over the next two years, opening 40 stores each year as it moves towards its ambition to have 1,500 UK stores.

ENDS

*Savings were calculated using the latest findings from the Which? cheapest supermarket survey (December), which found a typical weekly shop of 68 items cost an average of £15.89 more than at Aldi at the average Big Four supermarket, and £46.86 more at the most expensive supermarket, Waitrose. Over 52 weeks, these savings would amount to £826.15 and £2,436.72 respectively.