Shoppers Are Learning The Unusual Meaning Behind Asda’s Name

Did you know that Tesco had an own-brand product before the supermarket had even been named?

Yup ― Tesco was given its moniker long after it first went to Tesco Tea.

The TES came from supplier TE Stockwell’s name, and the Co came from founder Jack Cohen’s surname.

I had a vague idea Tesco, Lidl, and Aldi were all clever portmanteaus or acronyms.

But for some reason, I had no idea the letters in ASDA contained little Easter eggs about the company’s past too ― until today.

According to the company’s site, the Asquith family whose sons created ASDA were originally butchers. Peter and Fred Asquith went on to open some supermarket stores.

Meanwhile (in the 1920s) a group of dairy farmers united to form Hindell’s Dairy Farmers Ltd ― this included the Stockdale family.

By 1949 Arthur Stockdale turned that dairy collective into a single company called Associated Dairies & Farm Stores Ltd.

Noel Stockdale, Arthur’s son, met with the Asquith brothers and liked their work. So, in 1965, they officially joined together to form ASDA.

Per ASDA’s site, the name therefore stands for “ASquith + DAiries.”

The more I think about it, the wilder it seems that I never questioned the brand name…

Most of the company (67.5%) now belongs to private equity giant TDR Capital, City AM reports.

Mohsin Issa has 22.5%, while Walmart still has a 10% stake.

The American superstore had previously owned ASDA, the publication explains.

And according to Reader’s Digest, Walmart’s name has its own history ― it “was likely an abbreviation for Walton’s Market”.