Asda in hot water with shoppers after hiking price of yellow Just Essentials range only weeks after launch

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

It's already been in the headlines after Asda was accused of 'embarrassing poorer families' with the new packaging of its Just Essentials range.

Some shoppers feel the bright yellow packaging stands out too much and gives 'poverty markers' to struggling customers.

But now the supermarket is in hot water again after hiking some of the prices just weeks after launching the range, which is a rebrand of the former Smart Price products.

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Our weekly comparison of basics like milk and bread - the cost of which we have been monitoring at all supermarkets since March - shows that this week Asda has put the price of its Just Essentials teabags up from 25p for a pack of 40 to 28p and its coffee up from 75p for 100g to 83p.

The move has not gone down well with shoppers, many of whom have been sampling the new range for the first time.

One customer told the Manchester Evening News: "I know some people haven't been that keen on the new packaging, but I love the new range. I don't think it's fair for them to be putting the prices up already."

The rises have put Asda in fourth place in this week's comparison, with Tesco taking the cheapest spot from Lidl after the latter put the price of its 500g pack of mince back up to £1.89.

Most had reduced the packs to £1.69 to match the price of Asda's mince, which is also part of the Just Essentials range.

The full shopping list is made up of an 800g loaf of bread, two pints of milk, 200g of coffee, 160 teabags, a 250g block of butter, tin of beans, 300g of chicken and 500g of mince.

While Tesco is cheapest at £10.12, Lidl isn't far behind at £10.17, followed by Aldi at £10.30 and Asda at £10.44 - up from £10.16 last