Retailers have been competing to offer the best value with their frozen Christmas dinner ranges as of late, keeping costs down for consumers this winter as the cost-of-living crisis continues to squeeze household budgets.
In order to spread the cost of Christmas, retailers are marketing their festive dinners earlier than ever before and at greatly reduced prices.
A few supermarkets have already taken the lead as they battle for supremacy, including Asda and Tesco, that are both currently offering Christmas dinners for £25 or under.
However, Heron Foods is currently running a frozen Christmas dinner for a family of four for £15, undercutting the big players by a wide margin.
So, who’s offering the most competitive deal with the most food?
Tesco
Tesco was the first to introduce a bargain Christmas dinner meal deal, which offers dinner for five for under £25 including a 1.5kg turkey crown, roast potatoes and trimmings.
The deal, which comes in at precisely £24.05, is being promoted in Tesco’s Christmas TV ad and was praised by Tesco’s chief product officer Ashwin Prasad as an “iconic” and groundbreaking promotion.
The deals seem to be paying off, with the UK’s biggest retailer already saying it has sold large volumes of the deals as shoppers stock up early for Christmas.
“Shoppers have been purchasing a lot of Christmas lines a lot sooner than would normally be the case,” says Sarah Guy, store manager of Tesco Callington.
“We’ve sold many of these because they’re frozen lines, so people can buy early and have it ready.”
Asda
However, Asda responded with a similar deal by undercutting Tesco with a frozen Christmas dinner offer of just under £22.
Costing approximately £4.40 per head, the big 4 grocer is capitalising on customers that are looking for ways to spread the cost of Christmas.
Users of the Asda Rewards App users will earn £1.50 in their cash pot when they spend £20 on selected frozen Christmas dinner essentials, such as Brussels Sprouts, British Turkey and Pigs in Blankets, until 27 November.
Customers can pick up Asda Christmas dinner products like a Small Frozen British Turkey (£13.50), Pigs in Blankets (£3.00), Roast Potatoes (£0.88), Brussels Sprouts (£1.25) and Yorkshire Puddings (£1.00).
“The grocers are working tirelessly to convey value in the communication they have with their core customers,” says Richard Lim, CEO of Retail Economics.
“This is an intelligent position of a proposition that strikes at the heart of the festive season and what’s important to consumers.”
The aim behind the strategy is not just to push sales of the bundle itself, but to provide a gateway into persuading shoppers to base their whole Christmas shop at that supermarket.
Heron Foods
B&M’s discount food retailer Heron Foods launched its frozen Christmas dinner, beating out both Asda and Tesco by feeding a family of four for £15.
Bought separately the eight Christmas staple products included come to £20.56 however when bought together in the deal, this offers a £5.56 saving.
At £3.75 per person, the Christmas dinner will be available across Heron Foods stores from 27 November.
“We’re delighted to be bringing this fantastic-value festive dinner deal for our customers in the lead-up to Christmas Day,” Heron Foods managing director, Tony Dobbs said.
“So many families across the country are feeling the effects of the cost-of-living crisis and we’re hoping this deal will help those families enjoy one of the most iconic British Christmas traditions without worrying about the cost.”
This comes as research by self-storage provider Ready Steady Store found that for a family of six, among the UK’s largest supermarkets, Aldi came in cheapest at £25.49 for a festive feast.
Comparing nine Christmas dinner staples, Asda came in closely behind at £26.97 followed by Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
