In a month-on-month (m/m) comparison of retail shops included in a survey by The Brief, Metro supermarket emerged as the most affordable for November.
Metro tops affordability among Windhoek retailers
This involved a basket costing N$985.80, compared to Shoprite’s basket being the most expensive at N$1 051.80.
On a year-on-year (y/y) 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 fat spread (Rama 500g), which decreased from N$42.99 to N$34.99.
In contrast, Choppies reported a y/y 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 figures reveal that Metro and Checkers were the most competitive in the m/m 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 customers are likely to buy 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 analyse both overall trends and individual item variations on a m/m and y/y basis.
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