Singhsbury’s forbidden? OK, I’ll call my shop Morrisinghs instead
‘His customers have good taste’
WHEN Sainsbury’s failed to see the funny side of Jel Singh Nagra naming his convenience store Singhsbury’s, the shopkeeper decided to turn instead to its bitter retail rival.
Egged on by his customers, the 42year-old rebranded the corner shop as Morrisinghs after his original choice threatened legal action unless the offending sign was removed.
And his decision to risk getting sued for infringing another brand’s copyright appears to have paid off.
Unlike its competitor, Morrisons seemingly saw imitation as the sincerest form of flattery. A spokesman for the supermarket said: ‘Mr Nagra and his customers obviously have good taste so we wish him well.’
Five years ago, Mr Nagra received a letter from Sainsbury’s complaining about the name of the shop in West Allotment, North Tyneside, as well as the logo. He backed down but his cheeky customers – who ‘love the banter’ – encouraged him to take inspiration from a retail rival.
Mr Nagra said: ‘It’s just meant as banter. I know about 90 per cent of our customers are local. There’s little passing trade. I wanted to put West Allotment on the map.’
With the new name, he appears to have succeeded in his aim. Pictures of his rebranded store have been shared thousands of times on social media.
Mr Nagra also welcomed Morrisons’ generous response to his riff on the company name. He said: ‘I take my hat off to them. This is all meant in jest.’
A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: ‘We were grateful to Mr Nagra for removing the sign.’