Sainsbury's named cheapest supermarket of 2019 by Which?

Sainsbury's has beaten rivals Morrisons and Asda to be named the cheapest supermarket of 2019, according to a survey by Which?.

The consumer group tracked the prices of 53 branded items like Andrex toilet roll and Weetabix cereal over the year.

Each month it compared the cost of the basket on supermarket websites - an average of £107.01 at Sainsbury's.

Which? only tracked stores that sell their full range online, so Lidl and Aldi were not included.

That stood in contrast to the average monthly cost of buying the goods at Waitrose - the most expensive supermarket according to the survey - where the price came to £117.81, 10% more.

Sainsbury's, which was only the third-cheapest supermarket in 2018, stole the title from Morrisons, where the basket would have cost £109.13 last year.

• Do UK supermarkets vary prices by area?

This year, Morrisons was relegated to third place, behind Asda, where the basket of branded goods carried an average price tag of £107.65.

At Tesco, Which? recorded a £112.40 average bill when it reached the checkout. Meanwhile, the receipt was for £116.40 at Ocado.

"Your weekly supermarket shop can have a significant impact on your wallet, and the start of a new year is a good time to look at your household spending to see if there are areas where you can save money," said Natalie Hitchins, head of home products and services at Which?.

"Our analysis shows how important it can be to shop around to ensure you get the best price for your groceries."

Other items in the basket included Ben & Jerry's cookie dough ice cream and Mr Kipling's cherry bakewells.