With Easter just weeks away, supermarkets have already begun to compete for shoppers’ business. One in particular has launched the first initiative of the so-called Easter price war, designed to entice customers through its doors.
Lidl has announced prices for common vegetables will start from just 15p from April 15, an effort to target items most commonly seen on an Easter dinner plate.
The deal includes the following items, all priced at 15p:
- Carrots (1kg)
- White potatoes (2 kg)
- Green beans (220g)
- Swede (per item)
- Parsnips (500g)
- Spring onions (per bunch)
Last year, Lidl, Aldi, and Sainsbury’s all reduced the price of the most popular vegetables to 15p. Now that Lidl has set the tone for 2025, shoppers will be keen to see if others follow suit.
It comes as Asda cut the price of Cadbury’s Easter eggs to just 98p, a saving of 50p for shoppers.
Other deals in the market include a saving at Morrison’s, where shoppers can pick up large Cadbury Easter eggs for £3 each as part of the 3 for £9 deal.
Customers will need a More card to access the offer.
Supermarkets engaged in a similar price war at Christmas when festive favourites such as carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and potatoes were reduced to 15p a bag in the lead-up to the big day.
After Asda announced it would cut prices to 10p, Lidl and Aldi both undercut the offer by promising to charge just 9p a bag for festive vegetables.
Asda and Aldi both then lowered prices again to 8p.
Price cuts for the Easter season come after food inflation increased in March, driven by price rises in chocolate and confectionery.
Sales of chocolate eggs and related confectionary had reached £134 million this week, up 10% from the equivalent run-up to last year’s holiday.
Industry analysts Kantar also found that a third of households have bought hot cross buns, a traditional Easter staple.
The company found that supermarkets were trying to combat inflation by increasing discounts for customers.
Promotions totalled £2.6 billion, which was almost 9% more than last year, while discounted goods made up 28.2% of total industry sales, the highest share in four years.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar, told the Guardian: “With prices continuing to rise, supermarkets are mindful of the need to invest to attract shoppers through their doors.”
Amid its low Easter prices, Lidl was the fastest-growing physical chain from March 23, with sales up 9.1%.
It now holds a 7.8% market share and is less than one percentage point behind rival Morrisons.
