On Monday, the latter, a relatively downmarket supermarket chain, renamed their own in-house grocery line "Just Essentials"! As expected, the former are objecting and maintaining the branding is too similar to their own Essential Waitrose range launched in 2009.
And of course, Waitrose have sent a legal letter to Asda, citing their trademark registration. Asda have supposedly told the former to go pound sand if they think they can justify a trademark on a generic term as "Essentials".
This branding discord accentuates the fact that groceries are becoming less available and affordable to Britons because of rising inflation, war in the grainbasket (Ukraine/Russia), a never-ending Covid pandemic and Brexit.
Mass-market supermarkets are abandoning their cheapness signifiers ("value", "economy", "Asda Smart Price") in favor of vaguer lifestyle terms ("essentials", "basics", "Co-op Skipdiver") that aren't so obviously hung on pricing expectations.
Predictably, this brings them into conflict with fancier retailers which have long used such branding to offer cheaper stuff without compromising their premium image.
Methinks, the difference between supermarket brands – irrespective of how they are being price positioned – is really very slim and Waitrose's unhappiness shows just how competitive the battle for shoppers have become.
It's not just the UK but elsewhere too. This is the retail landscape today.
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