There is no doubt about it, France is a very cheap place to buy beer in supermarkets compared to Britain and many other countries in central Europe - and it will remain that way until there is a little more parity in excise duty across the European Economic Community.

For the foreseeable future the hordes of British shoppers piling their trolleys full of wine and beer will be a feature of the hypermarkets of Dunkerque, Calais, Boulogne and Dieppe, and to a lesser extent those of Le Havre and Cherbourg.

This section, though aimed primarily at the British shopper, should be of interest to many. It is intended to help people gauge where the best bargains are and who stocks the largest range.

Like much else in a fast -moving environment, it is difficult to keep upto date. We will do our best but if anyone can supply more recent information please email us.

The information in the following table relates to 75cl bottles unless otherwise stated. All prices are quoted in French Francs and are those prevailing at Easter 1998 unless otherwise stated.

The colours indicate changes since the previous survey of that shop. Blue - the beer was not stocked last time. Red - the price has increased. Green - the price has decreased.