It started out in 1904 as a small grocery in the Acton area of London, but despite its humble beginnings, Waitrose is riding high in the UK food retail sector after topping an annual in-store supermarket satisfaction survey from consumer group Which? for the second year in a row.

The upmarket store scored a maximum five stars in nearly every category covered in the poll – from ease of finding products and fast-moving queues, to friendly staff and the appearance of its shops.

It was only let down by a two-star score for value, and received an overall customer score of 76 per cent. At the opposite end, Asda was ranked bottom in the survey of more than 14,000 of Which? members, with a score of 58%.

Marks & Spencer also cemented its reputation for quality food and drink products, scoring five stars for both its own brand and fresh produce.

Its overall customer score of 73% placed it just below Waitrose, not managing to quite match its rival’s in-store experience or product range.

Marks & Spencer was also unable to match Waitrose for ease of finding products, queues or staff availability, Which? said.

Aldi and Lidl were in third and fourth places respectively, with scores of 71% and 67%. They were followed by Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Iceland and Asda.

Commenting on the survey’s findings, Harry Rose, editor of Which? magazine, said: “The quality of fresh products is the single most important factor for our members when choosing where to shop in store, and this is just one of the areas where shoppers have told us Waitrose excels.

“There’s clear room for improvement for the ‘big four’ – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda – as they continue to trail behind Waitrose and M&S for experience, and behind Aldi and Lidl on value.”

The consumer group’s findings suggest that shoppers like Asda’s range of goods in store, but want more recyclable packaging and products without packaging, as the store received only one star for this aspect.

Which? said its findings suggest Asda provides neither the noteworthy store experience of Waitrose or Marks & Spencer nor the value of Aldi or Lidl. Asda scored just two stars for the quality of its own-label products. Aldi and Lidl were rated best for value, both receiving five stars.

The two supermarkets were seen as the best for those wanting more for their money, with rock-bottom prices making customers much more forgiving of some other aspects of their shopping experience.

One Aldi customer was quoted by Which? as saying: “It’s not a pleasant place to shop, but value for money is exceptional.”

Morrisons and Sainsbury’s came mid-table, with Tesco sliding in just below and Iceland coming in second-to-bottom. Shoppers said they like Iceland’s value for money, but this was not enough to boost its score overall.

The supermarket received just one star for the availability of recyclable packaging.

Online supermarket Ocado, the only supermarket endorsed as a Which? “recommended provider”, was not included in the analysis.