German grocery giant Lidl has only dipped their toes in the water here in the U.S., opening its first stores just days ago, but instead of sending a fruit basket or pie, the country’s largest grocer chain Kroger, decided to welcome the foreign competition with a lawsuit over Lidl’s branded product lines.
Kroger is arguing that Lidl’s house brand, “Preferred Selection”, bares too much resemblance to their own “Private Selection” line that has been around for 20-plus years, and sees this as a trademark violation that will ultimately confuse its customers.
This “unfair” advantage will lead shoppers to believe the two products are the same, according to Kroger, and “as a direct result of Lidl’s wrongful conduct,” the company wrote in its lawsuit, “Kroger has suffered and will continue to suffer irreparable injury”.
In a comment to German Pulse, a Lidl representative defended their “Preferred Selection” brand as “a unique specialty brand that was developed by Lidl and has been positively accepted by our customers”. Due to the ongoing litigation though, the company was unable to offer more details or defense at this time.
