Sainsbury's will now only compare its prices to Asda, in a move to improve "simplicity".
Sainsbury’s is dropping Tesco from its Brand Match price promise from 2nd October.
The move is part of “a new approach to pricing”, which will also see thousands of food items reduced in price.
What is the Brand Match?
When you shop at Sainsbury’s, and your shop would have been cheaper at Tesco or Asda, you are given a coupon at the till for the difference. This can be for anything up to £10, which you can then spend the next time you shop at Sainsbury’s (so long as it’s within the following 14 days).
To qualify, you need to buy 10 or more different items in a single transaction, including at least one branded product that is exactly the same (in terms of size, flavour, etc) as a branded product on sale at Tesco or Asda.
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What’s changing?
From 2nd October Tesco will no longer be included in the Brand Match. So you’ll only receive money off coupons if your shop would have been cheaper at Asda.
According to Sainsbury’s, this is because its shoppers “see Asda as the benchmark of price”. By only comparing to Asda, Sainsbury's argues, Brand Match is more straightforward and easy to understand.
Given Tesco is expected to announce significant price cuts of its own in the coming weeks, as it attempts to make up for a disastrous year (culminating in overstating its profits), it’s perhaps not too cynical to suggest this move is more about Sainsbury's saving money than making things simple for shoppers.
Cutting prices
Alongside the Brand Match change, the base prices of thousands of food products are being lowered. Sainsbury’s is also going to remove “confusing price mechanics” like fractions and percentages, instead using round pound pricing (so £2 instead of £1.99) for more of its products.
What do you think of these changes? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments box below.
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