Discount supermarket Aldi has begun offering value holiday deals to Britain’s cash-strapped consumers via its new website, Alditravel.co.uk.
The site, which launched on Friday, offers a range of exclusive holiday deals to popular European destinations every two weeks, including beach holidays in Spain, Greece and Cyprus and city breaks to Rome and Istanbul .
Aldi Travel is already the second biggest travel operator in Austria is also a successful venture in Switzerland and Germany . All holidays are ABTA-protected and include Supplier Failure Cover.
Paul Foley, managing director of Aldi UK, said 2009 was the perfect time to launch the operation in the UK.
“My belief is that people still want a holiday but will be more savvy and more likely to do research,” he commented.
“I think it couldn’t be more perfect timing for us to do this. Everybody is considering what they spend on what and are right up for new ideas and probably Aldi in the UK is the most famous as it has ever been for value.”
Foley said he expects the company to become a “big player” in the four-star holiday business within five years, by when it hopes to provide breaks to million Brits every year.
He added that the model Aldi was using for selling cheap holidays was similar to how it sells food . The Germany-based chain will offer a limited range of holiday deals but hopes to sell them in high volumes so that it can negotiate cut-rate prices with operators.
A spokeswoman said that prices will be 20 per cent to 30 per cent cheaper than those offered by regular tour operators .
Aldi and rival discounters such as Lidl have fared well during the economic downturn, increasing their share of the grocery market as consumers seek cheaper prices.
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