Aldi may be forced to remove popular items from shelves – what this means for you

ALDI could be forced to pull one of its most popular products from its shelves after losing a legal battle.

The supermarket giant has been accused by rival M&S of “copying» one of their products, which led to the High Court case.

The German now the retailer may be forced to drop it own brand snow globe bottles of pale gin after a court ruled they had infringed M&S’s design for a similar product.

It can also mean Aldi the need to cover the damage to another outlet or to transfer a share of the profit from the goods.

The case was raised in Christmas 2020 over Aldi’s Gold Flake blackberry and clementine gin liqueurcomplete with gold flakes and illuminated bottles.

Lawyers for MADAM claimed it was too similar to their equivalent, which launched in 2019 after one of their product designers was inspired by lighting shops in Kensington, West London.

A spokesman for M&S said: “We are delighted with the judgment which demonstrates the importance of protecting our innovation.

“Like many other British businesses, large and small, we know the true value and cost of innovation and the enormous time, passion, creativity, energy and attention to detail that goes into designing, developing and bringing a product to market.

“Our customers trust our products because they trust our quality and delivery standards, so we will always strive to protect our reputation for quality, innovation and value.”

A spokesman for Aldi said the chain was “disappointed” by the verdict and would appeal.

They added: “Aldi is committed to offering customers the highest quality products at the lowest prices.”

It follows another legal battle between the two stores, in which M&S accused Aldi of copying their famous Colin Wusen a cake

The parties reached a settlement on the matter last year.

However, M&S is not the only brand at odds with Aldi.

Cider makers Thatchers have accused the discount supermarket of ripping off one of their drinks last year.

They claimed that Aldi was “mimicking” its cloud lemon cider with its own Taurus brand.

Likewise, the family businesses behind Heck sausages and The Collective yogurts at risk of litigation over alleged counterfeit products in 2018.

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