Rival supermarket chain joins the dating game in Spain after Mercadona video goes viral

The German supermarket chain Lidl has joined the dating game after videos of people looking for love in Mercadona went viral. The company has launched its own campaign to encourage customers to do the same in its supermarkets.

Lidl has sent a message to all its customers in Spain with a rather enlightening title: 'la hora del amor' (the hour of love). In this mass mailing, the company invites their customers who are looking for love to come between 6 and 7pm "with a watermelon in your trolley" as a sign that they are looking for a partner.

"The sign that identifies that someone is looking for a partner is that they carry a watermelon in the bottom of their trolley and bump it against yours", the company explained. This is similar technique to the Mercadona viral trend, only there the fruit of choice is a pineapple, which should be placed in the trolley upside down. The 'hour of love' at Mercadona is from 7 to 8pm, allowing a second opportunity for anyone who doesn't get lucky in Lidl.

Not only that, but those who go to one of the German chain's supermarkets during these hours (whether they are lucky in love or not) will enjoy special deals and, in addition, a ten percent reduction in the price of the watermelon.

This promotional campaign comes after the videos that have been circulating for weeks on social media encouraging people to go to Mercadona to look for a partner.