The consumer advocacy group has released its fourth quarterly report into supermarket prices, which it assesses by buying a basket of 14 common grocery items from Woolworths, Coles, and Aldi. The report found that the price of 14 common grocery items at Coles and Aldi had declined since releasing its first quarterly report, both with specials and without. However, a basket of the same items with specials at Woolworths increased by 3.7 per cent. Choice CEO Ashley de Silva noted that this was the first time they’ve noticed a clear divide between Coles and Woolworths. 

"Coles and Woolworths pricing has been pretty close, I think it was 75 cents without specials between the baskets that we did the first time, whereas that's now $1.79," he said.

"It's still not a huge difference, but it certainly has shifted in that time.

"We have always reported each quarter the gaps between them, but I think this is the most pronounced that that gap has been.”