Heathrow worst airport for tax-free shopping deals

Travellers looking for the best airport tax-free shopping deals should shun Heathrow, according to a study.

A mystery shopping exercise involving 10 major European airports showed Heathrow offered the lowest discounts.

Compared with high street prices, the tax-free discounts at Heathrow were just 3.1 per cent better, the study for shopping comparison website Kelkoo showed.

The average saving among the 10 airports was 6.2 per cent, with Lyon in France offering the best discounts – 11.9 per cent better than those on the high street.

Gatwick was the fifth-best airport for discounts, with its tax-free items five per cent lower in price than on the high street.

The survey involved looking at the prices of 22 products, including food, drink, fashion and electrical items.

A Panasonic FZ38 Digital Camera ranged in price from £267.85 in Heathrow to £137.58 in Lyon, and a Dolce and Gabbana shoulder bag cost £1,020 in Heathrow and £696.07 in Rome.