Metropol

One thing I've just been thinking about Asda, and that's that you never seem to see them use the Wal-Mart name at all any more. In the early-mid 00s they seemed keen to push it, with the "Part of the Wal-Mart family" slogan on shop signs, the websites, carrier bags etc. and the Asda Wal-Mart Supercentres, but over the past few years that seems to have all gone! You have to dig to find any mention of Wal-Mart on the Asda website (basically buried deep in the About Us section), it's no longer there on the carrier bags, our local store still has it on the sign at the entrance (which has been there since around 2003), but as the store's currently being refitted, I imagine it will be gone some time in the near future, and the supercentres are also have the Wal-Mart branding removed as they're refitted. I wonder what the reason behind this is, possibly because the Wal-Mart name really still doesn't mean much to most people over here, even after nearly 15 years of them owning Asda.

Snippet from Wiki that may explain it:

In 2009 Walmart 'sold' Asda for £6.9 billion to their Leeds-based investment subsidiary Corinth Services Limited.[16] The deal, which took place in August, was described as part of a “group restructuring” and means Asda remains under the control of Walmart, since Corinth are themselves a subsidiary of Walmart.[17]

Andrew Wood wrote:Snippet from Wiki that may explain it:

In 2009 Walmart 'sold' Asda for £6.9 billion to their Leeds-based investment subsidiary Corinth Services Limited.[16] The deal, which took place in August, was described as part of a “group restructuring” and means Asda remains under the control of Walmart, since Corinth are themselves a subsidiary of Walmart.[17]

It doesn't really; it's not as though that re-organisation made any difference to the legitimacy of the claim they were 'part of the Wal-mart family'. Add to that the move away from the brand happened earlier than that, and I think it's fair to say it had nothing to do with it.

I think james2001 was right to an extent; I think there was also a far greater presence of Wal-mart 'corporate' staff in Leeds in the years immediately following the buy out, whereas they're now largely left to do their own thing. There was a time when Wal-mart's (very American) 'great value' packaging was used, I can't find an example of that, but here's the American version of the time:


Interestingly, and something I didn't realise, is that a few years ago Wal-mart rebranded Great Value thusly:


And it seems Asda have bought Smart Price in line with this (or were at least inspired by that) in the most recent rebranding exercise:

I'd spotted that after a trip to the US last year. Or rather, that the Smart Price packaging was very similar to the Wal Mart Great Value range - I don't think that it had even twigged that the name was different.

On a similar note, Tesco are using the branding from their doomed US supermarket chain Fresh & Easy on prepared veg and easy cook meat:

thegeek wrote:On a similar note, Tesco are using the branding from their doomed US supermarket chain Fresh & Easy on prepared veg and easy cook meat

That's true - for coming up to twelve months now.

I note Tesco seem to finally be changing the finest logo and doing some major packaging refreshes with it.

Andrew Wood wrote:

thegeek wrote:On a similar note, Tesco are using the branding from their doomed US supermarket chain Fresh & Easy on prepared veg and easy cook meat

That's true - for coming up to twelve months now.

Yes, we covered it a while ago, I think the brand was even around here before the US chain launched. Someone at Tesco is clearly desperate for the brand to work in some capacity!

nodnirG kraM wrote: Don't think much of the new design though.

I think it could be quite damaging to the Finest range if they don't stop the roll out of that.

Quite like the look of the Swiss Co-Op's 'Fine Food' - quite similar to the original finest* (as it must be stylized now)



http://finefood.coop.ch/finefood/showProdukt.do?id=769

nodnirG kraM wrote:I particularly like the small print that accompanies Sainsbury's slogan.

It used to be a little bit more specific:

http://www.duluxdecoratorcentre.co.uk/s ... =DDC400141

Here's one for the font geeks. What is this font? I thought for a moment it was the Sainsbury's font but its not and whatthefont isn't liking it due to the tight kerning. Any ideas? I'm sure I recognise it.