A recent analysis by Foodstuffs North Island has found that New Zealand’s Pak’nSave stores offer the lowest average grocery prices compared to leading retailers in Australia and the UK, including Aldi, Woolworths, and Tesco.
The four-week price comparison examined 20 everyday grocery items from the Neilsen Top 50, which includes the top 10 products sold in each department across New Zealand’s supermarkets.
After adjusting for sales tax, currency exchange rates, and pack sizes, Pak’nSave North Island had the lowest average basket price.
- Pak’nSave North Island – NZD 93.09
- Woolworths NZ (North Island) – NZD 103.58
- Woolworths Australia – NZD 115.44
- Tesco UK – NZD 108.38
- Aldi Australia – NZD 100.64
“There’s been a lot of discussion lately about the cost of groceries in New Zealand and whether we’re more expensive than similar countries. We didn’t believe that was the full picture - so we set out to test it,” said Chris Quin, CEO of Foodstuffs North Island.
“This was one of the most rigorous studies of its kind. We’ve looked at real pricing data for products that Kiwis buy every week and benchmarked them like-for-like against international retailers. The result is clear: the innovation of Pak’nSave is giving customers great value.”
The comparison, which will be regularly updated, was based on average online prices from each retailer over four weeks and included household staples such as:
- Bananas, onions, and carrots
- Beef mince and free-range chicken breast
- Butter, cheese, milk, and cream
- Shaved ham and toilet tissue
- White sugar, plain flour, chopped tomatoes
- Potato chips and Coca-Cola
- Instant coffee
- Mixed frozen vegetables, hash browns, and shoestring fries
Prices were gathered from each retailer’s online channels and normalised to reflect New Zealand conditions - removing local sales taxes, converting to NZD, adding GST, and matching product pack sizes.
“We know food prices are a challenge - not just here, but around the world. But when you look closely, you can see our model delivers strong value, especially at Pak’nSave, where our team works hard to keep prices low.”
Foodstuffs North Island has served New Zealanders for more than 100 years, and Quin said this latest study reflected the Co-op’s long-standing commitment to value.
“Our stores are owned and run by Kiwi families, our profits stay in New Zealand, and our team is proud to be Team New Zealand for groceries.”
