Have you switched supermarkets for your main weekly shop?

One in eight (12%) people switched their supermarket for their main weekly shop in the first half of this year, research by Paragon Bank indicates.

Rising prices have forced many of us to rethink the way we shop, and for many people this has involved forming new supermarket habits.

Many of those who haven’t switched their supermarket have still tweaked some of their habits to save some cash here and there.

More than a third (37%) of people have maintained their preferred supermarket for their main shop – but are also using cheaper stores to buy specific items.

An additional 6% say they have maintained their main store but are also now purchasing certain items from online retailers such as Amazon.

While price was found to be the overwhelming driver of people switching, the availability of stock was also found to be an issue, as was convenience.

Other factors weighing on consumers’ decisions included the quality of special offers and loyalty schemes.

The bank’s survey of more than 1,750 of its savings customers, carried out in July, also found some people signalled the shift in their habits will be permanent.

Only one in seven (14%) people who have changed their shopping habits plan to return to using their previously preferred store when food price inflation has eased.

Just over seven in 10 (72%) say they will continue to mix their shopping between different stores.

Meanwhile, 14% say they have permanently changed their preferred supermarket brand.

What are your views? Have you switched supermarkets for your weekly shop? Are you buying more own-brand items than previously?