Lidl have mocked M&S by sending a handwritten letter to a family ice cream business who were warned to stop using the supermarket giant's Percy Pig name - to say they could use their Henry Hippos instead. Fabio's Gelato in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, were left baffled after receiving a letter from M&S demanding they change the name of their Percy Pig gelato.
However, budget supermarket Lidl were keen to seize the opportunity to land another dig against their rival and sent the family business a handwritten letter themselves. The light-hearted note poked fun at the cafe's run-in with Marks and Spencer, with the shop claiming that they'd heard about the 'piggy pickle' and wanting to offer a 'Lidl inspiration'.
Lidl went on to say that they would be 'honoured' if the gelato cafe named the flavour 'Henry Hippo ice cream' after the supermarket's own pink sweets. The chain's surprise delivery even included a 'bumper-load' of Henry Hippo sweets so that Fabio's Gelato could get started as soon as possible.
Company director Fabio Vincenti claims that he was 'shocked' after receiving the letter - and says that the company will be using Lidl's name suggestion.
The 39-year-old also admits that he had originally suspected that Aldi would want to get involved after they were sued by M&S for infringing on their Colin the Caterpillar trademark in 2021.
Fabio, from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, said: "As soon as we saw the letter, everyone was just laughing.
"I couldn't believe it. We actually thought it would be Aldi who would maybe send us a cheeky message, so we were quite shocked it was Lidl.
"They muscled in on Aldi's joke. I think it was clever of them. It makes it a talking point.
"They handwrote the letter, which made it even nicer. It was really personal.
"We've been quite busy, because everyone in Hitchin wants to try the ice cream so we've made quite a lot of stock.
"We're probably going to hit the Henry the Hippo ones soon and start filtering it into the shop. We've already got the logo approved.
"We're wondering if Aldi will get involved next."
Fabio's Gelato shared a photo of the letter on Facebook on 23rd May, where to racked up more than 7,000 likes, shares and comments.
Users were quick to share their appreciation for the ongoing saga, with many praising Lidl's marketing team for how they handled the situation.
One user said: "Lidl and Aldi slam-dunking M&S is my favourite spectator sport."
A second added: "Hilarious. I think M&S need to work more with their marketing department than their legal department. Burned again but this time by Lidl rather than Aldi."
Another said: "This whole story is so much fun."
A fourth joked: "Just waiting for this to escalate once the Aldi social media team get involved. Could be a fun summer."
A Lidl spokesperson said: "When we first heard about Fabio's 'piggy pickle' we immediately said - 'Henry Hippo will save the day!'.
"Needless to say we squealed with delight when we heard Fabio had received our surprise consignment and are thrilled to learn that he will now be launching a Henry Hippo Ice Cream.
"It truly is an honour and we can't wait to try it. You could even say it's a much-needed sweet ending to a sour 'tail'."
At the time of the initial letter being sent, an M&S spokesperson said: "Percy Pig is the nation's favourite pig and he's careful to only put his name on official M&S products.
"It's flattering that he’s inspired Fabio’s new gelato and we hope they enjoy the treat we sent - Percy Pig sweets of course!"
M&S have been contacted for comment in relation to Lidl's letter.
