Grocery Discounter Lidl Dabbles In Customer Reward Card Scheme

German grocery discounter Lidl, which operates 620 stores in the U.K., has for the first time issued “smarter shopping” cards to shoppers in Scotland. The company says the cards are not “loyalty” cards because shoppers do not have to register personal details and no points will be tallied for shopping. The cards promise £5 off if cardholders spend at least £25 in store over two weeks. The program will run for 10 weeks, during which time other special offers will be presented to cardholers. Though the company said it was a simple reward system, industry analysts said the move is actually a response to an increasingly tough environment for discounters as the big grocery chains fight back.