Retailer WH Smith has been ridiculed on social media for its astonishing offers on chocolate bars at a Heathrow Airport branch.

Shoppers preparing to jet off on holidays and business trips were dumbfounded to see a tantalising "offer" tempting customers to buy 48 KitKat or Flake bars for £45 ($58).

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That works out at 94p a bar – a step rise in price for the beloved confectionery treats, which can normally be had for 60p at retail.

To make matters stranger, WH Smith had also plastered a label next to the deal, describing it as "our best offers".

The attempted KitKat and Flake frenzy wasn't the only bizarre deal WH Smith was promoting, as it had also put up displays giving away the much less fancied Bounty bars at 24 for £22.

A tweet from Timothy Howard kicked off the intrigue into the deals before social media users began to find some similarities at WH Smith chains elsewhere.

One Twitter user managed to find a box of Lindor chocolates at a Ilkley branch being sold at £8 for two – but you could alternatively buy each individually for £2.49 each.

If WH Smith had been attempting a business masterstroke they had better watch out for their closest bulk-selling rivals, Tesco.

The supermarket giants were selling the same amount of KitKats, but in a conveniently packaged multipack and at a massively reduced price of just £18. Better go back to the drawing board guys.