Lidl is launching budget mobile phone plans – but there’s a major catch

Leading supermarket chain Lidl has announced plans to launch budget mobile phone plans in the UK, but they won’t be available to everyone.

Lidl customers in 30 countries will be able to sign up to the mobile network when it launches later this year as the retail giant looks to expand its presence worldwide.

The announcement is part of a deal struck between Lidl owner Schwarz Group and mobile network 1GLOBAL from earlier this month that saw Schwarz Group acquire a 9.9% stake in the telecommunication group.

The agreement allows Lidl to establish itself as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), which means it can offer mobile services while using an existing network rather than having to build its own.

There’s a caveat, however, because, as confirmed by 1GLOBAL, the mobile phone plans will only be available through the Lidl Plus customer loyalty app.

Within the app, users will be able to purchase eSIM plans ‘in seconds’ with ‘no contracts or binding commitments’, and 1GLOBAL has confirmed that customers will also be free to instantly manage their plan.

No official launch date has been confirmed, and Lidl has yet to reveal which markets it’ll be operating in, although the UK, US, Spain and France have been suggested as key markets.

Lidl’s big plans for the UK

The move into mobile telecommunications comes just days after Lidl GB announced plans to open more than 50 new shops across the nation as part of a £600million investment.

Over the next 12 months, the retail giant will open branches in locations like Abbots Langley in Watford, Thornbury in Gloucestershire, Warrington in Cheshire, and numerous others.

Lidl GB CEO Ryan McDonnell said the company wants to ‘impact our British communities’ with its expansion and make ‘affordable, healthy food accessible to everyone.’

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