Credit crunch Brits say ‘hands off our Heinz!'

Brits are willing to ditch their favourite supermarket, but are not prepared to stop buying their favourite brands, according to the latest uSwitch.com Consumer Opinion Panel.

Almost half (48%) - over 22 million - have switched to a cheaper supermarket to save money this year. But, while we can stomach a trip to Aldi instead of Waitrose, we balk at the prospect of own brand beans and ketchup.

In fact, 44% of people say that they will always buy Heinz tomato ketchup instead of a supermarket's own brand version, regardless of price. 39% show the same loyalty to Heinz baked beans while 35% could not bear to go without Cadbury's dairy milk.

The brands we cannot do without:

1. Heinz tomato ketchup - 44%
2. Heinz baked beans - 39%
3. Cadbury's dairy milk chocolate - 35%
4. Coca-Cola - 34%
5. Bisto gravy and Walkers crisps - 29%
6. Kellogg's cornflakes and Oxo cubes - 28%

According to the research, 39% of consumers - potentially 18 million people - are no longer purchasing luxuries or treats as part of their weekly shop. But while favourite brands seem to be exempt from these money saving efforts, supermarkets are not.

Of those consumers who have switched supermarkets to save money, 30% who were with Asda now shop at Aldi, while 52% of those who shopped at Morrisons now visit Aldi or Lidl instead. Even the giants are not immune - 23 per cent of Sainsbury's customers who now no longer shop there have moved to rival Tesco - perhaps proving that when it comes to supermarket shopping ‘Every little helps'.

Ann Robinson, Director of Consumer Policy at uSwitch.com, says: "Our research shows that consumers are prepared to make sacrifices to cut costs - including shopping at a budget supermarket. But when it comes to favourite brands, beans really do mean Heinz.

"The priority for consumers today is to cut costs and get better value for money. By switching allegiance to a cheaper supermarket we can bring down the cost of our weekly shop, while continuing to enjoy our favourite brands.

"Retailers will no longer be able to rely on loyalty to bring people through their doors - this will lead to a shake up on the High Street as well known stores adjust and adapt to this new age of savvy recession shopping."