// The creator of M&S’ Percy Pig line has called out rival companies for copying the retailer’s popular confectionary ranges
// A grocery source claimed hat M&S finds itself in more trademark disputes than other supermarkets because it has developed in-house brands, which “rival supermarkets would die for”
Julia Catton, the mastermind behind Marks & Spencer’s popular Percy Pig line has defended the retailers aggressive stance against copycats.
“My argument has always been, why can’t you do something different? There’s always a place for innovation and consumers want it,” Catton told the Telegraph.
With Percy Pig being one of M&S’ best-selling brands a number of copycats have tried to cash in on its success alongside another beloved range, Colin the Caterpillar.
In a recent legal dispute, M&S reached an “amicable resolution” with the confectionery company Swizzels after accusing it of copying its Percy Pig sweets, after it agreed to change the design.
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Marks & Spencer first began legal action against Aldi in April 2021 in an effort to protect its Colin the Caterpillar cake, claiming that the discounter’s Cuthbert the Caterpillar product infringed its trademark.
By February 2022, both settled the lawsuit after reaching a “confidential agreement.”
At the time, an M&S spokesperson told Retail Gazette: “The objective of the claim was to protect the IP in our Colin the Caterpillar cake and we are very pleased with the outcome.”
A grocery source told the Telegraph that M&S finds itself in more trademark disputes than other supermarkets because it has developed in-house brands, which “rival supermarkets would die for”.
Catton, who started her career as an M&S food developer and was the creator of its Percy Pigs line, says it is important to try something new and different.
“In many supermarkets, it all becomes the same thing,” Catton told the title.
“They’re all selling Cadbury’s, so the question is how are you different from Waitrose or Tesco.”
She added that it is disappointing when other supermarkets launch similar versions of M&S’ famous characters.
A spokeswoman for M&S said the company “has a proud history as a leading innovator and for almost 140 years customers have turned to M&S for unique, original, quality products – all from our trusted suppliers”.
“A lot of time, passion, creativity, energy and attention to detail… goes into designing, developing and bringing a product to market and building your brand over many years.
“Our customers trust our products because they trust our quality and sourcing standards so we will always seek to protect our reputation for freshness, quality, innovation and value.”
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