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Lidl to offer cut-price European city flights

Susie Mesure,Retail Correspondent
Wednesday 30 August 2006 00:07 BST
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Canny shoppers will be able to bag a flight to Berlin alongside their baked beans next month, provided they are prepared to visit Lidl, the bargain German supermarket chain.

The discount retailer has linked up with Air Berlin to offer cut-price flights to European cities in the latest example of supermarkets spreading their wings into areas beyond groceries.

For one week in September, Lidl customers can save up to £100 on a return flight to cities including Vienna, Dusseldorf and Belfast. The one-way flight vouchers will cost £19 and can be used for flights that would normally cost up to £69 including taxes.

Tony Parker, a Lidl director, said: "This is not a sales-led gimmick, no Lidl product purchase is necessary to buy a flight voucher and there will be no special restrictions." The initial offer starts on Tuesday and will run for a week.

For years, UK supermarkets have offered customers the chance to earn airmiles with their purchases, which they can exchange for flights, but selling flights directly is a first for the sector.

Neil Saunders, at Verdict, the retail consultants, said flights were a "logical market for supermarkets to enter, given they have tackled other service markets like financial services".

Tesco has already experimented with selling flights in some European outlets. A spokesman said it was possible it could move into the travel market in the UK.

Lidl, part of the German group Schwarz, will sell Air Berlin flight vouchers that can be used from Stansted, Manchester, Glasgow and Belfast to 25 European destinations, although not all flights are direct. The flights can be used from Tuesday to 31 March.

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