'Singhbury's' takes on supermarket giant with cheeky sign

Aylesbury shoppers have been doing a double-take over the last week, as they pass their new local store.

For while at first sight it looks just like any other Sainsbury's, it's actually nothing of the sort.

Two enterprising shop-owners have mimicked the supermarket giant's familiar typeface and orange-and-burgundy livery while carrying out a refit to open their own 'Singhbury's' store.

Photos have been shared on social media by several locals, including Gavin Spencer, who spotted the new sign while out for a run.

It's by no means the first time that shop-owners have had the same idea. Indeed, another Singhbury's was spotted in 2014 - although its branding wasn't quite such a perfect copy.

Other examples include Tesos Express, spotted in Surbiton last year, and Tecco Express in Salford.

In this case, the store is operated by Inderjit Singh Nagpal and Manmeet Singh Bhatia, who claim the sign's eerie resemblance to Sainsbury's is simply a coincidence.

"The first part of the name is Singh, for our names, and the second is bury for Aylesbury. We used the colour orange because that is the colour of our Sikh religion," Mr Nagpal tells the Bucks Herald.

"We saw that it's on Facebook, and are a little bit worried about Sainsbury's, but people have had similar signs before, and we have three good reasons for the name and colour."

However, it's a risky line to take. Supermarkets are among the most prolific filers of trademarks in the country, according to figures from the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) - and they have teams of lawyers ready and waiting to defend them.

A trademark can include words, of course, but also sounds, colours and logos.

In 2010, French supermarket Carrefour sued Chinese chain Anhui Jiale for copying its logo. In the same year, Harrods went after a roadside cafe that didn't even share its name - purely because the shop sign typeface was the same as Harrods' own.

It seems likely, unfortunately, that Sainsbury's lawyers will be having a quiet word with Mr Nagpal and Mr Bhatia sometime soon...