Waitrose has sent a legal letter to Asda after the rival supermarket unveiled its new discount product range, according to reports. Asda is planning to axe its Smart Price range and replace it with new Just Essentials by Asda products from May.
It said 300 ‘Just Essentials’ items would be sold in more than 500 shops, with the retailer calling it the ‘largest budget-friendly essentials range in the market’. It plans to roll out the new range to replace Smart Price over the summer.
But Waitrose says the branding is too similar to its own Essentials range, which was launched in 2009. Asda says 'essentials' is a 'commonly-used term' for discount product ranges.
