IGA supermarket drops prices for thousands of essential items

IGA has dropped the prices of thousands of items as customers increasingly struggle with the rising cost of living pressures. The supermarket has announced it has lowered the prices of more than 3000 essential food items and locked the cost for the next three months. The move is part of IGA’s Low Prices Every Day commitment to make grocery shopping more affordable for customers amid a cost of living crisis. “We understand how important it is to provide Australian shoppers with as much great value as we can, which is why we have locked the prices on thousands of essential products for the next three months,” IGA spokesperson Estella Young said. “From pantry staples and cleaning supplies, to pet food and more, our latest round of the Low Prices Every Day program will help keep the basket or trolley cost down for our shoppers.” The supermarket’s Price Match program also ensures shoppers will get the best value without having to visit multiple grocery stores. The program matches the lowest regular price of hundreds of everyday items with comparable products at supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths every week. Thanks to the lower prices, IGA customers can pick up a litre of Cold Power washing liquid, a nine pack of 3 ply Quilton Toilet Roll, and a tube of Colgate Toothpaste for less than $20. Lunch boxes are also sorted for less, with two 80-100g packages of sliced Primo meats available for $6.70 and 250g of Bega Sliced Cheese on sale for $6.50. Shoppers will be also able to snag a 12-pack of Maggi 2 Minute Noodles for only $10 while an 18-20 multipack of Smith’s Chips will set shoppers back $8. The lock on low prices for thousands of items will remain in place until November 5, 2024. It comes as Australian supermarkets face accusations of price gouging after continuing to raise prices while posting strong profits. In 2023, Woolworths recorded $1.62bn in profits, Coles delivered $1.098bn, and IGA’s parent company Metcalfe announced a net profit of $259m. Consumer group CHOICE conducted a comparison shop earlier this year as part of the government’s response to growing anger about supermarket prices. The study found 39 per cent of customers didn’t trust supermarkets to provide the best products to meet their needs. Of the dominant four chains in Australia, German retailer ALDI was clearly the cheapest with a basket of groceries costing 25 per cent less than at other supermarkets. The survey found Coles was the most expensive supermarket, but it was followed closely by Woolworths. CHOICE noted it was hard to compare the grocery giants with IGA because the products and prices vary from store to store, but shopping at IGA was “substantially more expensive” than its competitors. However, the supermarket’s newly announced lowered prices and Price Match initiative are aimed at ensuring customers know they will receive the same prices every week. Both Coles and Woolworths have announced price reductions running through August.