In a month-on-month comparison of retail shops included in The Brief survey, Metro Supermarket emerged as the most affordable for November, with a basket costing N$985.80.
Shoprite’s basket was the most expensive at N$1,051.80.
On a year-on-year basis, Checkers recorded the largest decrease in basket cost for November 2024, with a reduction of 0.40%.
Key drivers of this decline included Washing Powder (2kg), which dropped from N$79.99 in 2023 to N$69.99 in 2024, Cooking Oil (Nola 2L), which fell from N$76.99 to N$69.99, and Butter (Rama 500g), which decreased from N$42.99 to N$34.99.
In contrast, Choppies reported a year-on-year basket increase of 7.75%.
Notable price hikes contributing to this increase included Real Good Chicken (1.5kg), which rose from N$77.99 in 2023 to N$89.99 in 2024, Onions (1kg), which increased from N$9.95 to N$20.95, and Cooking Oil (Nola 2L), which climbed from N$69.99 to N$79.99.
In the hypermarket category, Metro stood out as the cheapest, with a basket costing N$904.80, followed by Checkers at N$992.80 and Woermann Brock at N$1,060.19.
For November 2024, the commodity spotlight focused on Rice (2kg).
Choppies offered the lowest average price at N$43.16 during the survey period, followed by Spar at N$43.60, Shoprite at N$44.43, Pick n’ Pay at N$45.24, Checkers at N$47.05, and OK Foods at N$47.32.
These trends reveal that Metro and Checkers were the most competitive in the month-on-month basket comparisons, with Metro emerging as the overall cheapest in the hypermarket category. Meanwhile, Choppies maintained its position as a budget-friendly option, particularly with lower prices on key products like rice.
This survey draws data from seven retail stores and three hypermarkets and is conducted monthly by The Brief. It began in June 2023 to evaluate a basket of comparable grocery items that customers are likely to purchase each month.
The survey’s primary goal is to help shoppers identify which retailers offer the most affordable basket of goods for a given month. Additionally, it tracks changes in the basket to analyze both overall trends and individual item variations on a month-by-month and year-on-year basis.
Grocery Basket Items:
- Loaf of bread
- 2-litre Nola Sunflower Oil
- 5kg Top Score Maize Meal
- 2.5kg Marathon White Sugar
- 1.5kg Real Good Chicken
- 1kg Beef Stew
- 2kg Mama Rice
- 3kg Pasta Polana Macaroni
- 1-litre Nammilk Full Cream Milk
- 9 Twinsaver Toilet Paper Rolls (350 sheets)
- 700ml Wellington Tomato Sauce
- 1kg Sunlight Washing Powder
- 750ml Sunlight Dishwashing Liquid
- 500g Rama Butter
- 18 Waldschmidt Medium Eggs
- 150g Protex Bar Soap
- 100ml Colgate Toothpaste
- 1kg Onions
- 1kg Potatoes
- 1kg Tomatoes
Note: Specials or loyalty card discounts are not considered. For example, if a special states, “Get N$10.00 off when buying 18 (medium) eggs and pay N$55.00,” we log the price as N$65.00 to exclude the special.
