// Marks & Spencer to sell Bath chocolatier’s Valentine’s Day product after being accused of copying their design
// The family-run business Choc on Choc took to social media to accuse M&S of copying its design
Marks & Spencer has agreed to start selling a Bath chocolatier’s Valentine’s Day product after it was accused of copying their design.
The family-run business Choc on Choc took to social media to accuse M&S of making a “strikingly similar” box of chocolate matchsticks.
M&S launched its Perfect Match box of chocolate matchsticks – with blonde chocolate matchsticks stamped with the product’s name – ahead of Valentine’s Day.
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However, Choc on Choc said the product was similar to its own Perfect match item, which it has produced since 2015.
Choc on Choc founder Flo Broughton said she was “frustrated” when she saw the M&S product.
“My initial reaction was just frustration because we’re so small”, she said.
“It’s happened to us before. But this time, for some reason, it was much more galling. It really hit the pit of my stomach this time. And I just felt it wasn’t right.”
The complaints from customers reached the attention of M&S, which agreed to sell the Bath-based company’s chocolate matchsticks.
@marksandspencer
After all the fuss and legal battles, M & S threw @aldiuk over #cuthbert how can they then think it's ok to copy @chiefchoclady design. A large British institution stealing from smaller British companies!
IT’S NOT JUST THE PERFECT COPY, IT’S THE PERFECT MATCH pic.twitter.com/S5yda2ebK4— Iguana Chocolate (@karunamcmullan) January 21, 2022
https://twitter.com/LJKitchen/status/1484827025466695685?cxt=HHwWioC93YGUlZspAAAA
I’m usually a big fan of @marksandspencer but I’m not a fan of this. Why the need to copy someone else’s lovely product so blatantly? Imitation isn’t flattering, it’s ripping off the smaller guys. Be better.
(& if you want to buy matches for your match, go to @chiefchoclady) pic.twitter.com/wPViSm38ze
— Sophie Rumble (@sophiearumble) January 22, 2022
M&S said it will sell the matchstick products for Valentines Day and will work with the brand on products around Mother’s Day and Easter.
The controversy comes after M&S launched a lawsuit against Aldi for copying its Colin the Caterpillar cake design, and more recently its Christmas gin design.
M&S responded to the Choc on Choc controversy by adding: “We take IP (intellectual property) very seriously and when we saw Choc on Choc’s social media posts we immediately got in touch.
“Choc on Choc is a fantastic company producing quality chocolates and we’re delighted to be working with them through our small supplier programme going forwards.”
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