There is now a new cheap supermarket in the UK, with Mere claiming it will undercut even Aldi and Lidl. To see if its claims stack up, we compared prices against a discounter and a traditional supermarket.
A new budget supermarket called Mere that promises prices substantially cheaper even than the deep discounters Aldi and Lidl has now launched in the UK.
The Russian business Svetefor has opened its first branch in Preston, Lancashire, with the promise of other stores, including in Wales, opening later this year.
And what sets the Mere stores apart is just how cheap they are.
According to comments provided by Pavels Antonovs, Mere UK's head of buying, the prices charged in Mere are likely to be as much as 30% cheaper even than those you’ll see at Aldi and Lidl.
Svetefor already operates Mere stores across Europe in places like Romania, Germany, Lithuania and Poland.
So how does it provide just cheap prices? As Antonovs put it: "We are the gap in the market. We don’t have any competitors. Our model is no service and no marketing."
In other words, don’t expect any frills when shopping at Mere (just take a look at the Mere UK website and you'll see they mean it!)
In its stores on the continent, you pick up the items you want to buy directly from the pallets they were delivered on ‒ nothing so fancy as shelves.
The store has likened its operation to Costco, only without the need to pay a membership fee.
Is Mere really the UK's cheapest supermarket?
So just how cheap are Mere compared to their rivals?
Some of the first shoppers to visit Mere stores have reported back on the items for sale, and what they cost, so we can get a pretty good idea of how much you could potentially save.
If you’re stocking up on toilet rolls, then a 24 pack at Mere of unbranded paper will cost £2.70.
That’s a fair bit less than the £5.79 you’ll pay for 24 packs of loo roll at Aldi, while Sainsbury’s own ‘super soft’ range comes in at around 50p a roll when you buy a nine-pack, which again works out far more than at Mere.
Basmati rice is another excellent example, with a 1kg bag costing £1.15, compared to £1.29 at Lidl and £1.60 at Sainsbury’s.
Pasta is also incredibly cheap, with a 400g pack setting you back just 23p at Mere. Meanwhile, the cheapest 500g bag at both Aldi and Tesco costs 29p.
Mere shoppers were also able to pick up tins of peeled tomatoes for 39p for 800g.
At Tesco a 400g tin of peeled tomatoes costs at least 40p ‒ a higher price for half the food! Meanwhile, at Aldi you’re looking at paying 35p for 400g, so once again Mere works out cheapest when you take size into account.
If you’re looking for some washing up liquid, a 383ml bottle of Fairy Liquid costs just 69p, a fair bit cheaper than what you’ll pay elsewhere. At Tesco for example a 433ml bottle costs at least £1.
There are times when you might actually save a few pennies sticking with the existing deep discounters though.
A box of 120 PG Tips tea bags for example will set you back £1.75 at Mere.
Head to Aldi and you can get a box of 240 PG Tips for £3.48, which actually works out slightly cheaper on a per-cup basis, though that same box of 240 tea bags will set you back a whopping £4.50 at Sainsbury’s.
Mere is usually cheaper, but choice is very limited
A big downside reported by those who have visited Mere is the lack of options though.
There are an awful lot of shopping staples that simply aren’t available; you won’t be able to pick up any fresh fruit and vegetables, nor any bread and milk, for example.
Now, this might improve over time – it has only just opened its first store this week after all – but for now, those who live near enough to shop there will most likely need to do a second grocery shop at one of its better-stocked rivals to pick up the things they couldn't find at Mere.
All I care about are savings
Clearly, the big selling point ‒ perhaps the only selling point ‒ of Mere is the price you pay.
The experience evidently takes the expression ‘no frills’ to new levels.
Personally, I hate shopping in supermarkets at the best of times, so picking up my shopping from a store with no branding and which feels a bit like a warehouse is no bother.
However, for some, the experience may feel a little bleak.
Ultimately it comes down to the cost of your shopping, or more specifically the savings you’ll make shopping at Mere compared to other discount stores, let alone the big-name supermarkets.
If you’re flexible enough to shift your food plans for the week based on what you find in your Mere store, then it could be a real winner.
But speaking from experience, my own family has found it frustrating shopping in Aldi and Lidl, and trying to fill the gaps in what we’d normally pick up from a weekly big shop from a bigger name rival.
Chancing our arm further by heading to a Mere is only likely to be a more frustrating experience.
Winning shoppers’ favour
The pandemic gave the big supermarkets something of a boost.
Increasing numbers of us spurned heading to the supermarket in person, making use of deliveries or click and collect services instead.
But as we hopefully head towards the end of the pandemic, momentum is once again behind the deep discounters.
According to the latest research from Kantar WorldPanel, which tracks supermarket market share, Tesco’s share has dropped from 27.3% to 27.2% since the start of the year, while Sainsbury’s has seen its share fall from 15.9% to 15.2% over the same period.
Meanwhile, Aldi has seen its market share increase though, as confidence about shopping in person returns.
Only time will tell whether Mere will enjoy similar success by undercutting even those deep discounters.
Want to save on your supermarket shop? Check out our weekly roundup of the top deals at all the major shops, updated every Friday.