Each day, millions of shoppers flock to ASDA. The supermarket giant is a firm favourite with Brits, thanks to its budget ranges and huge variety of groceries, fashion and homeware products on offer.
ASDA's large green sign has become something of an icon in the UK - and it's pretty hard to miss. To be honest, it sticks out like a bit of a sore thumb.
But while we are all familiar with the ASDA logo, few people know what it actually stands for. There is, in fact, a long history behind the meaning of ASDA.
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ASDA was started by the Asquith family, who were butchers based in Knottingley, Wakefield, West Yorkshire. In the 1920s, they expanded their business to seven butchers shops in the area.
Around the same time, a group of West Riding dairy farmers, including the Stockdale family and Craven Dairies, joined under the banner of J.W Hindell Dairy Farmers Ltd. The company diversified in 1949 to become Associated Dairies and Farm Stores Ltd, with Arthur Stockdale as the managing director.
In 1963, the Asquith brothers converted an old cinema, the Queens in Castleford, into a self-service supermarket. Another followed in the old indoor market at Edlington. Both stores traded under the name of 'Queens'. Their next store was a purpose-built supermarket in South Elmsall
In 1965, the Asquith brothers approached Associated Dairies to run the butchery departments within their small store chain. A merger was proposed and the Asquiths' business was joined with Noel Stockdale's to form a new company, ASDA (Asquith + Dairies).
It has been capitalised as ASDA since 1965. Newsreader Alastair Stewart tweeted: "Without Google, do you know what the name ASDA derives from?" reports The Mirror. The question has left some people feeling 'stupid'.
Someone wrote: "I don't know anything without Google, so no." Another said: "No, sorry, but about 35 years ago I used to know what BEJAM stood for! It was all the initials of the owners/children, I think! We had to learn about the company to 'earn' stars on our name badges, like McDs!"
Some did know what it stood for though, and one woman gushed: "YES! I had a four-week summer job on George and they had a week's training about this!!!"
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