Morrisons began its sixth round of price cuts this year in an attempt to stop customers switching to Aldi and Lidl.

The supermarket cut prices on 47 “high-volume” products, including minced meat, tomatoes, butter, zucchini, cereals and “picnic classics” such as pitta bread and scotch eggs, as part of a £26 million price reduction investment.

Morrisons said the average price reduction was about 25 percent. For example, the price of a pack of four scotch eggs was reduced from £2.75 to £2.10, and a 400-gram pack of honey-roasted ham fell in price from £3.49 to £2.75.

The latest round of price cuts comes as the supermarket struggles to reduce market share. It is losing market share to Aldi and Lidl, among others, as shoppers look for better prices in a cost-of-living crisis.

Morrisons market share has fallen from 10% at the beginning of the year to 8.7% today, and last year the Bradford-based supermarket overtook Aldi to become the fourth largest supermarket in the UK.

It is now becoming possible that Morrisons could overtake Lidl as well. The German discounter has been rapidly increasing its market share over the past year, rising from 6.2% in early 2022 to 7.7% today.

The latest price cut will last at least eight weeks, which Morrisons says will “help shoppers get more for their money” in the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Morrisons quietly raised prices on some items included in the first round of price cuts in January, so that they are now more expensive than they were originally.

Today’s price cuts include picnic items to help shoppers make the most of the warm weather, and haven’t forgotten the refrigerator and closet essentials.

Morrisons is struggling to keep prices down while carrying the burden of £5.9 billion in debt left over from the company’s takeover by private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in 2021. Rising interest rates make servicing that debt even more burdensome.

The supermarket has embarked on a massive effort to reduce its costs by about £700 million by reducing the range of products it produces and simplifying van routes to save fuel.