Family Cash and Alcampo, the cheapest national chains to make purchases in Spain, according to the OCU

The Alcampo hypermarkets in Vigo and Murcia are the cheapest, while two of Sánchez Romero in Madrid, the most expensive in Spain

Family Cash and Alcampo are the cheapest national supermarket chains for shopping in Spain, according to the study carried out by the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) on the cost of the shopping basket.

For its part, Coaliment becomes the most expensive supermarket in Spain to fill the shopping basket, followed by Amazon and Unide.

In a context marked by inflation, the products included in the basket for comparison have increased by 14.1%, which represents the second largest increase in the 35 years of this study. "Consumers have suffered in two years an increase of 30.8% in the cost of food and drugs, it is very significant and it has not happened for a long time," said the OCU spokesperson, Enrique García, during the presentation. of the study.

Thus, by going to the cheapest supermarkets, the average savings amounts to 1,056 euros per year, 6.2% more than in 2022, due to the greater spending of families due to the increase in prices.

The report reveals that the Alcampo hypermarkets in Vigo and Murcia are the cheapest establishments, while again two Sánchez Romero establishments in Madrid, located on Arturo Soria street and in Castelló, are the most expensive in Spain.

In this way and according to the study, Alcampo is the cheapest option to make purchases in 23 cities, closely followed by Mercadona, in 21 locations, and at a greater distance are Family Cash and Tifer, which are the cheapest options in six cities.

Regarding the cities where it is cheaper to fill the shopping basket, these are Teruel and Córdoba, followed by Jerez de la Frontera, Ciudad Real, Burgos, Castellón, Puertollano, Vigo, Lugo, Zamora, Cádiz, Cuenca and Palencia, while Palma de Mallorca, Madrid, Getxo and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria are the most expensive.

For their part, La Rioja, Galicia and Murcia are the cheapest autonomous communities to make purchases in Spain, while the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands are those where it is more expensive on average to make purchases.

The report has analyzed a total of 155,489 product prices after visiting 1,108 establishments spread across 65 Spanish cities in addition to the Internet.

MASYMAS, EROSKI AND MERCADONA, THE CHAINS THAT INCREASE PRICES THE LESS

García highlighted that the increase in prices has been generalized "in all chains without exceptions." "They don't rise the same, but they all rise," he stressed, specifying that they have raised their prices an average of 12.1%.

By chains, E. Leclerc (16.8%), Supeco (15.8%), Carrefour Express (15.3%) and BM Urban (15.1%) are the brands that have increased prices the most, while Mercadona (10%), Eroski City (8.8%), Eroski (8.1%) and the Masymas chain (8%) are the ones that have done the least on the national scene.

90% OF PRODUCTS INCREASE THEIR PRICE

The price analysis confirms that 90% of the 236 products that make up the basket have increased their prices, with the increases being more pronounced in processed products and somewhat less pronounced in fresh products, a sector in which the few registered price drops.

García has described as "more than spectacular" the rise in prices that some foods have experienced such as sugar, with 65.7%, condensed milk (61.4%), carrots (56.1%) and potatoes. frozen fries (49.7%) rose the most.

While the most striking decreases correspond to products that suffered "exceptional" increases last year, such as sunflower oil (-39.8%), which skyrocketed due to the war in Ukraine, or bananas from the Canary Islands (- 34.8%), which became scarce after the eruption on La Palma.

The consumer organization has highlighted that, in times of high inflation and loss of purchasing power for consumers, the only way to deal with it is to buy at the cheapest establishment.

In this way, it perceives notable differences between the cities, since the maximum possible savings occurs in Madrid where it reaches 3,928.43 euros, while in Cuenca they have less possibility of saving, since the difference between the most expensive establishment and the cheapest is only 430.25 euros.

"Expenditure on food has grown significantly after two years of rising prices, but we have lost purchasing power, since buying the same basket implies allocating a greater percentage of the family budget," warned García, who warned that many Households are buying more processed products and fewer fresh products, because the nutritional quality of the diet is reduced.

REQUESTS TO INCREASE AID TO FAMILIES IN FACE OF A LITTLE "FLATHERING" FUTURE

In this way and in this context of rising prices, the OCU spokesperson has asked the Government to increase the amount and number of beneficiaries of the food check currently in force.

"The damage of rising prices on family economies is very high, therefore we believe that we must help people in situations of economic vulnerability, vulnerable families with this issue," García assured.

After knowing the CPI data, García has warned that the "panorama is not very rosy for families", showing his "concern" about the 12 consecutive week increase in fuel prices. "Unfortunately, we believe that it will have an impact in the future on the continued increase in price increases."

On the other hand, the organization has also called on the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the National Competition Market Commission (CNMC) to intensify "immediate" controls and inspections to guarantee control of the production chain to avoid abuses and speculation that could occur and that have negative effects both for the sector and for farmers and especially for the consumer.