Comparing the prices of ready meal products
Behind the numbers
Ready meals offer a solution for on-the-go shoppers and those seeking an evening meal. This week’s data shows how retailers are expanding margins and increasing profits.
Seven out of the 12 lines examined are priced by a majority of retailers above their most-common price. Take Bisto’s Cottage Pie and Shepherd’s Pie. Seventy-four per cent of retailers charge up to £2.50, while 76% charge up to £3.50 for the latter, compared to their shared most-common price of £1.49. Similarly, 69% charge up to £3.49 for the brand’s Bangers & Mash variety, compared to its most-common price of £1.69. Bisto’s Beef Hotpot, however, is an outlier, with 57% sticking to the most-common price of £1.69, with 37% pricing only at £2.30.
Conversely, Rustlers All Day Breakfast Sausage Muffin isn’t as flexible. Seventy-eight per cent charge £1.79, with just 21% stretching that as high as £1.99.
