The surprising origins of the supermarket names Tesco, Asda, Aldi and Lidl

The names of our shops and supermarkets all mean something – and some are quite surprising. It is well known, for example, that KFC actually stands for Kentucky Fried Chicken or that M&S ​​stands for Marks and Spencer.

However, you could be forgiven for not knowing where Tesco, Lidl and Aldi came from, as it can be quite obscure and sometimes goes back almost 100 years to when the non-giants started with a very humble beginning.

Here’s a look at the origins of the UK’s main supermarket chain names – and what they mean.

Aldi

Aldi is a supermarket chain. It was founded by Anna Albrecht and her sons Karl and Theo, who expanded a small shop into a chain of self-service stores where people could pay for goods on account. As their business expanded into Germany, they opted for the name Aldi – short for Albrecht and Discount. The first Aldi store in the UK opened in 1990.

So

Asda’s founding family, Peter and Fred Asquith, owned a single butcher’s shop in the small town of Knottingley, West Yorkshire, dating back to the 1920s. During a trip to the US in 1958, the Asquiths realized the benefits of shopping ‘under one roof” for customers.

A store with the oddly named Piggly Wiggly (which still exists today) paved the way for the modern supermarket. They returned home, bought the old Queens Theater in Castleford, West Yorkshire and opened the UK’s first self-service store, followed by another shortly afterwards.

As the Asquith family business went from strength to strength, Peter contacted Noel Stockdale of Associated Dairies with a view to establishing a business partnership. On 3 May 1965 the deal was sealed and a name ASquith + DAiries was chosen = the birth of Asda.

Tesco

Jack Cohen started selling surplus food from a stall in London’s East End in 1919. He left the Royal Flying Corp at the end of the Great War and used his demob money to buy the first day’s stock. At the end of the first day, Jack Cohen made a profit of £1 on sales of £4. The first own-brand product sold, which Jack promised would deliver unparalleled value, was Tesco Tea – before the company was called Tesco. The name comes from the initials of TE Stockwell, who was a partner in the firm of tea suppliers, and CO from Jack’s surname.

Lidl

The company’s name, Lidl, is an acronym of the first letters of the last name of the company’s founder, Dieter Schwarz, and “Lebensmittel” (meaning food in German).

Morrisons

Perhaps a little less surprising than the others. The company was founded in June 1899 by William Morrison, who started the business as an egg and butter merchant in Rawson Market, Bradford, England, operating as Wm Morrison Limited. His son Ken Morrison took over the company in 1952 at the age of 21. In 1958, Morrisons opened a small store in the city center and the rest is history.