Just one day after we announced the launch of the new Just Essentials by ASDA Retail Brand (private brand) British retailer Waitrose has launched a legal challenge against the new sub-brand.

Waitrose, attorneys are claiming that Asda’s new sub-brand infringes on the trademark of their Essential Waitrose sub-brand.

A spokesperson for Waitrose said: ‘We were surprised to hear that Asda is launching an essentials range as the Essential Waitrose brand has been in use since 2009 and has built up a strong reputation for value, quality and higher welfare standards in that time. As we’ve also protected the name as a trademark, we have raised this with Asda and are awaiting a response.”

Waitrose has launched around 1,000 products for its Essential Waitrose private brand since its launch 10 years ago.

Asda plans to sell 300 Just Essentials by ASDA products. As we reported yesterday, the line will include household essentials such as toilet paper and toiletries, as well as fresh meat, fish and poultry, frozen food, and kitchen staples, such as canned tomatoes.

In response, an Asda spokesperson hit back: “The word ‘essentials’ is a generic and commonly used term by retailers to describe their value product ranges.”

Velocity Institute readers will recognize the tiered naming strategy that has generated a thousand private labels around the world. Each with similarly generic pseudo descriptive names that assume the customer cannot decipher the value proposition despite the price clearly marked on the shelf. Whether it’s Essential, Value. Smart. Great, Everyday, Selection, Signature, Preferred, or Private this naming strategy does not create brands but labels.