New research conducted by the Dutch Consumers’ Association (Consumentenbond) has revealed that top brands come with a very hefty price tag - almost 50 percent more than supermarket own-brands!

Prices in Dutch supermarkets

The Consumer’s Association visited 15 supermarket chains in the Netherlands, filling their shopping trollies with 125 different products from top brands, such as Calvé, Cool Best, and Heinz. They then carried out a second shop with the same products, but from the supermarket’s home brand. 

Their research revealed that the price gap is growing dramatically. In 2014, the top brands - known as A-merk - were generally “only” 24 percent more expensive than the supermarket-brand equivalent. However, in 2020, supermarket brands are in average 45 percent cheaper than the A-merk equivalent, with the price gap reaching a whopping 80 percent for some products. 

The association says the difference in prices grows by around five percent every year, not only because production is becoming more expensive, but also because some supermarkets (like Albert Heijn and Jumbo) have started to merge their own brand with their cheaper budget brand.

The cheapest weekly shop

The shopping trips revealed that the price difference between products is greatest at Deen, Deka, Dirk, and Vomar. They also revealed that the biggest discrepancy in price generally occurred with detergents and dishwasher tablets. For example, Ariel’s detergent was on average 79 percent more expensive than the supermarket own-brand. 

Very little difference was found for some products, including long-life milk and chocolate. In some cases, the supermarket chocolate was actually more expensive than A-merk labels such as Milka. 

The association did not include any deals or specials in their research, but advise anyone who likes to buy premium brands to keep an eye out for special offers, as they say the average discount for A-merk products is between 30 and 35 percent. This discount can mean the premium brands are (temporarily) cheaper than the supermarket brand.