When it was announced that South Oxhey was to have a Lidl, shoppers said they were looking forward to buying products at lower prices.

Prior to the budget store being brought in under the area’s regeneration scheme, the two main food shops were Nisa Local and Tesco Express – stores that people in the area claimed were pricey.

On Tuesday, November 15, Watford Observer decided to compare the prices of 10 essential items at the three stores on Prestwick Road to see what is the cheapest.

Read More

While the stores did not all have the same items, we compared products as close as possible.

Milk – semi-skimmed, 4 pints
Watford Observer: Lidl, Dairy Manor - £1.65Lidl, Dairy Manor - £1.65 (Image: Newsquest)

  • Lidl, Dairy Manor - £1.65
  • Nisa Local, Co-op - £1.79
  • Tesco Express, Tesco - £1.65

Toilet roll
Watford Observer: • Lidl, Floralys, Classic Soft Tissue, 24 rolls - £6.79• Lidl, Floralys, Classic Soft Tissue, 24 rolls - £6.79 (Image: Newsquest)

  • Lidl, Floralys, Classic Soft Tissue, 24 rolls - £6.79
  • Nisa Local, Andrex, 24 rolls - £11.99
  • Tesco Express, Tesco Luxury Soft, 6 rolls - £4.15

Paracetamol, 16 pack
Watford Observer: Lidl – 29pLidl – 29p (Image: Newsquest)

  • Lidl – 29p
  • Nisa Local – 99p
  • Tesco Express – 50p

Sanitary towels
Watford Observer: Lidl, Always Ultra 24 Megapack, long with wings - £2.99.Lidl, Always Ultra 24 Megapack, long with wings - £2.99. (Image: Newsquest)

  • Lidl, Always Ultra 24 Megapack, long with wings - £2.99
  • Nisa Local, Always Ultra Night-time, 8 pads – £2.09
  • Tesco Express, Always Ultra Night-time, 4 pads – 3 for 2 at £3.20 or one 1 for £1.80

Margarine, Bertolli Spread, 450g
Watford Observer: Lidl, Bertolli Spread - £2.49.Lidl, Bertolli Spread - £2.49. (Image: Newsquest)

  • Lidl - £2.49
  • Nisa Local - £2.35
  • Tesco Express - £3.20

Mince, beef
Watford Observer: Lidl, Birchwood, lean beef, steak mince, 5% fat, 1kg - £5.69.Lidl, Birchwood, lean beef, steak mince, 5% fat, 1kg - £5.69. (Image: Newsquest)

  • Lidl, Birchwood, lean beef, steak mince, 5% fat, 1kg - £5.69
  • Nisa Local, Co-op, 5% fat, 500g - £1.99
  • Tesco Express, lean beef, 5% fat, 500g – £3.75

Bread
Watford Observer: Lidl, Hovis Best of Both, medium - £1.40.Lidl, Hovis Best of Both, medium - £1.40. (Image: Newsquest)

  • Lidl, Hovis Best of Both, medium - £1.40
  • Nisa Local, Kingsmill 50/50, medium - £1.35
  • Tesco Express, Kingsmill 50/50, medium - £1.30

Apples
Watford Observer: Lidl, Oaklands, pink lady apples, pack of six - £2.39.Lidl, Oaklands, pink lady apples, pack of six - £2.39. (Image: Newsquest)

  • Lidl, Oaklands, pink lady apples, pack of six - £2.39
  • Nisa Local, Co-op, royal apples, pack of six - £1.50
  • Tesco Express, Tesco, pink lady apples, pack of six - £3.25

Eggs

Watford Observer: Lidl, Woodcote, 12 free range medium eggs - £1.99.Lidl, Woodcote, 12 free range medium eggs - £1.99. (Image: Newsquest)

  • Lidl, Woodcote, 12 free range medium eggs - £1.99
  • Nisa Local, Elliot’s Yorkshire six free range medium eggs, £1.69
  • Tesco Express, Tesco six large eggs, £1.70

Carrots

Watford Observer: Lidl, Oaklands British Carrots, 1Kg – 49p.Lidl, Oaklands British Carrots, 1Kg – 49p. (Image: Newsquest)

  • Lidl, Oaklands British Carrots, 1Kg – 49p
  • Nisa Local, Heritage Pantry, 1Kg – 95p
  • Tesco Express, Tesco, 500g – 40p

When added up, Lidl’s shop came to £26.17, Nisa Local came to £26.95 and Tesco Express came in at £21.70.

Some of Lidl’s items might seem more expensive but that was often because they were selling larger family packs. 

Essentially, you got more for your money.

However, Nisa Local and Tesco did not always have the family packs available, which made a direct price comparison trickier. 

Have you got a story for us? You can contact us here.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

To receive breaking news alerts or newsletters sign up here.