Asda leads in customer ratings

TESCO may be Britain's biggest and most profitable supermarkets group, but its customers are less happy with the service they receive than those who shop at Asda, according to a report published today.

The research, by independent customer loyalty expert TARP, shows 43% of Asda customers 'very satisfied' against 37% at Tesco. Sainsbury's recorded 34%.

TARP says the defining factors in customer satisfaction are staff availability and checkout service, rather than price or location. Its lower rating leaves Tesco vulnerable to Asda, which has already overtaken Sainsbury's to become Britain's second-largest supermarkets chain.

Poor service is costing the industry as a whole £20bn in lost revenue, claims the report, with as many as three-quarters of supermarket shoppers saying they would happily go to a rival retailer.

While 32% of Asda shoppers said they would always use an Asda wherever possible-only 25% of Tesco shoppers showed the same level of loyalty. The figure for Sainsbury's was just 19%.

The report said that, while Asda is delivering on its traditional price promise, this is not the main reason for the overall lead in satisfaction. After staff availability and queues, the rating was influenced by product range, quality and services.

The online poll covered 1,200 shoppers and was conducted in March and April.