NEWS ANALYSIS: Din at the cheap end.

Asda's claim to be the cheapest supermarket has sparked a retort from rival Tesco and an ASA ban. All in a day's work in the UK grocery sector, writes Maeve Hosea

Asda has taken an order from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to stop labelling itself, inside and outside stores, as the cheapest supermarket in Britain. The judgement was made following a complaint from arch rival Tesco, which disputed Asda's claim to be 'Officially Britain's lowest price supermarket'.

In the competitive grocery sector, retailers frequently use price promises to lure shoppers. But they must be able to justify those promises.

Asda and Tesco have each invested millions of pounds in price-cutting campaigns. Asda's claim was the focus of three national press advertisements and a TV commercial. The first press ad bore the statement 'Officially Britain's lowest price supermarket' …