A budding supermarket feud is in the works, as bemused shoppers watch supermarket giants LIDL and PAVI/PAMA bicker over who sells the cheaper can of Coca Cola.
PAVI/PAMA landed the first blow on Tuesday, posting a picture to their Facebook page comparing their price (€0.75) to that of LIDL (€0.79) under the banner “Save More, Pay Less”.
This followed a series of Facebook posts by LIDL over the past days comparing their prices for specific items to the average of several other supermarkets, including PAVI, Welbee’s, Greens, Interspar, Smart and PAMA.
A bar of Kinder Bueno, they claimed, is 13% cheaper at LIDL, while Star ragú will set you back €0.55 more if you shop at other supermarkets.
PAVI/PAMA was quick to respond, publishing their Coca Cola price comparison.
LIDL refused to take this lying down, promptly posting an image of a receipt from PAVI showing that a can of Coca Cola cost €0.99, not €0.75.
Just to drive their point home, the German giants promised to slash their price to €0.69 as of tomorrow, ten cents cheaper than it was when the feud began.
Price wars new to Malta
Price wars are a rare sight in Malta, with supermarkets usually unwilling to directly compare their prices to those of their competitors, but are commonplace elsewhere around Europe.
In 2022, two Lidl adverts aired in Scotland were banned after they were found to have presented a potentially misleading comparison with rival supermarket Aldi.
Price wars are believed to have become even more widespread, as consumers have increasingly felt the pinch of inflation in recent years, with worries over the rising cost of living continuing to grow.
This sometimes works to the benefit of consumers, with advertising price wars in the UK believed to have led to a cut in the cost of several products, including prosecco and milk.
The rising cost of living also tops the list of people’s concerns in Malta, with many saying that they are struggling to keep up with rising food prices.
This led to a recent government-led move to reduce the recommended retail price of up to 400 basic food items by at least 15%.
Time will tell whether this feud marks a new dawn in supermarket advertising in Malta, as supermarket giants try to outdo one another in the drive to attract customers.