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Man Who Called His Shop Singh'sbury Local Says It's Just A Coincidence

Man Who Called His Shop Singh'sbury Local Says It's Just A Coincidence

"My name is Singh and it is on Bushbury Road. That's where the name has come from. Its just a coincidence."

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

A business owner in Wolverhampton is facing backlash from one of the UK's leading supermarkets after he opened up a local corner shop and called it Singh'sbury Local. Now THAT, my friends, is one ballsy move.

Mandeep Singh Chatha, 34, unveiled his new convenience store last month, claiming he had simply merged his own name with the location of the store, which is on Bushbury Road.

Having registered the name of the shop with Companies House, Chatha could now be in hot water with Sainsbury's - which has previously threatened legal action against other business for similar stunts - especially as the sign bears uncanny resemblance to the chain's famous orange lettering.

Chatha, a former sandwich delivery driver from Wolverhampton, said the shop has been a hit with locals, who regularly stop to take selfies in front of the building.

SWNS

Arguing his store is just a 'regular off-license', he explained: "My name is Singh and it is on Bushbury Road. That's where the name has come from. Its just a coincidence.

"It has proved very popular so far, people keep stopping in their cars to take pictures with the sign and I've had many nice comments.

"I have heard nothing from a supermarket which has a similar name, so I see no problem with it. Why would they contact me? It is different.

"It's a different logo, a different colour, a different company. It's completely different. So why would they ask to change? I don't want any controversy from them.

SWNS

"I don't know what I would do if they ask me to change the name. All I can say is that we are not the same.

"We are registered under a completely different name and are a different shop.

"We sell everything. Beer, wine, soft drinks, milk, tobacco, groceries. We are just a regular off-license.

"I think the nearest Sainsbury's is a couple of miles away so it's not exactly close and we are certainly not competition.

"I am just a small business owner trying to make a living.

"Our shop is very popular. Business is good. Every day is an improvement. We hope to keep getting people coming in."

SWNS

The incident follows a similar case back in 2017, where businessman Jel Singh Nagra renamed his North Tyneside shop Singhsbury's.

Sainsbury's threatened legal action, forcing him to rename the store Morrisinghs - something that fellow supermarket giant Morrisons actually backed.

A Morrisons spokesman said at the time: "Mr Nagra and his customers obviously have good taste so we wish him well."

Another company in Wolverhampton called Kent's Tuck In Fried Chicken has also faced opposition from the famous fast food chain, but has managed to remain in business since 1999.

KFC tried to demand that owner George Georgiou change the name, but he refused, saying at the time: "It is called Kent's because it is on Kent Street, and Tuck In because that's what you do at a restaurant.

"We sell southern fried chicken so it has got absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with Kentucky Fried Chicken."

Sainsbury's, which has a supermarket of their own just 1.6 miles away, has been contacted for comment over Chatha's new venture

Featured Image Credit: SWNS

Topics: UK News, News