20m loyalty cards issued

Shopping has been changed for ever by the "astounding" growth in loyalty cards, a report says, with 20 million supermarket cards issued in the past 18 months. More than half of all credit cards issued now include some kind of loyalty programme, which has become the main weapon in the battle for customers.

The report by Professor Steve Worthington, of Staffordshire University, commissioned by a Vauxhall Motors company, says suppliers realise they must offer tangible rewards to tempt "footloose" customers. Glenda Cooper