Lidl has announced it will invest £250 million in price drops and its mobile app since this year.

As part of this investment, it said it has dropped prices on over 1,000 products since the start of the year, including fresh meat, fruit, eggs and yoghurt.

The UK’s fifth-largest supermarket added it has increased investment into the Lidl Plus app this year with the launch of both Lidl Points and more tailored deals, including a 60 per cent increased spend on personalised coupons.

Lidl Points, which launched last month via the Lidl Plus app, is a flexible rewards system that Lidl claims offers customers more control over their savings. Rewards points can be spent in the in-app marketplace, swapped for over 200 products, or exchanged for money-off coupons.

Lidl added the app also features personalised coupons, rewards of the week and seasonal offers.

The move to a points-based model brings the loyalty scheme in line with those offered by other supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsburys. When it initially launched, the revamped loyalty scheme drew mixed reactions from customers on social media sites.

Taking to Reddit to express their views, one user pointed out that the current system would require shoppers to spend over £600 on double pointed items in order to buy two sirloin steaks with points, while another proposed that the senior management overseeing this decision “should be sacked.”

Richard Bourns, chief commercial officer at Lidl GB, said that its customers continue to face pressure on their household budgets, especially heading into the summer months.

“Our £250 million investment in lowering prices on over 1,000 products ensures customers get even better value,” he added “This latest investment, combined with a significant increase in promotions via the Lidl Plus app, reinforces our unwavering commitment to deliver the highest quality products at the lowest possible prices."

In April, Lidl announced plans to open more than 50 new stores in 12 months as part of a £600 million investment in its British infrastructure.

Lidl said the move will create around 2,000 new jobs across the country in the new stores which include Abbots Langley near Watford, Warrington in Cheshire, and Thornbury in Gloucestershire.

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