A-brands in the supermarket are more expensive again, budget brands are cheaper instead

The price gap between A-brands and budget brands in supermarkets has widened over the past year, with A-brand prices rising by an average of 2% while budget brands decreased by 6%. The Consumentenbond analyzed prices of over 900 A-brand and 400 budget brand products across ten supermarket chains. Notable price increases include Unox's Chinese tomato soup, which rose by 37%, and Johma's huzarensalade, up by 32%. Despite some A-brand products becoming cheaper, the overall trend shows a growing disparity. Budget brands saw price drops in rice, pasta, and canned vegetables, but some coffee and chocolate products increased in price. Price variations exist among supermarkets, with Nettorama offering A-brands at 7% lower than average, while Spar charges 13% more. Aldi and Lidl were excluded from the study due to their limited A-brand offerings. The analysis focused on regular prices, excluding promotional discounts, and considered 'shrinkflation' effects.