It’s been a tense year of watching for base rate cuts and awaiting election outcomes, as the UK tries to climb out from recession. British shoppers are heading into the holidays watching their wallets. Understanding the pricing gaps by category for major retailers is crucial to channel and merchandising strategy. 

For the fifth consecutive year, Profitero conducted the Price Wars study, which compares item-level price competition across the U.K. online retail landscape. The study compares everyday online prices on more than 9,300 items in 16 categories across 18 leading retailers, including Amazon, Asda, Argos, Currys, John Lewis and Ocado.

Amazon maintained its strong lead in essentials, where traditional U.K. retailers like Asda, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s faced double-digit price gaps.