Save on food bills with UK shopping
Households could save at least 15% on their grocery bills by ordering some items from the UK and the rest from France.
HOUSEHOLDS in France could save at least 15% on their grocery bills by ordering some items from the UK and paying for delivery – despite the stronger pound.
The Connexion compared the prices of 101 products on Carrefour and Asda’s online shopping sites, including fresh meat, fish, vegetables, dairy produce, tinned goods, drinks and toiletries.
Portion sizes were taken into account to allow a fair comparison on a per-kilo or per-litre basis. Carrefour own-brand goods were compared against their direct Asda equivalents.
Out of the 101 products in the basket, 74 were cheaper to buy in the UK – and 52 of these were still cheaper even after the delivery firm’s 20-25% charge was added.
The basket full of items cost €364.81 in Carrefour and €275.09 in Asda.
The UK bill rose to e343.86 including delivery to a French home, a saving of 6% on the French prices.
However, if shoppers bought the 52 best bargains in the UK and the other 51 items in France, the total bill would be €303.78, a saving of 16%.
It means that on a €700 monthly food bill, a family could save about €100 buying some items in the UK and others in France.
As a general rule, if a product costs at least 25% more in a French supermarket than in the UK, it is cheaper to buy online from Britain.
The table on the right shows the 30 products from our list with the biggest savings. Many of the best bargains in Asda are on toiletries and cleaning items rather than fresh foods.
Cheaper items in France included yoghurts, some breakfast cereals, pasta sauce, Beaujolais wine and part-baked baguettes.
Asda themselves do not deliver to France but several third-party firms offer the service. You order your shopping on your chosen supermarket site and put the firm’s UK depot as the delivery address.
The goods are then transported by van to pick-up points on an agreed day or delivered to your home for an extra fee.
One Connexion reader who uses the service said: “As the exchange rates have been so bad, we have lost a substantial amount of money when exchanging to euros.
“We love living in France and we contribute through taxes. By being able to shop in the UK, we have the best of both worlds.”
