Damn the driveway! Shoppers left stunned after finding out what Asda really stands for
Shoppers are blown away after discovering what Asda really stands for.
Former ITV News presenter Alastair Stewart, 70, posed the question to his 81,000 Twitter followers in 2021.
The broadcaster – who retired last week after nearly 50 years on screen – wanted to see if users knew the answer without having to look it up.
He wrote: “Without Google, do you know what the name of Asda is?”
Although the company dates back nearly 100 years, Asda came into existence in 1965 after the merger of two companies.
Asda was born in 1965 after the merger of the Asquith family business and Associated Dairies. Pictured: a supermarket in Warrington
In 1902 the Asquith family, from Yorkshire, were running butchers in the small market town of Nottingley.
After opening seven more stores, brothers Peter and Fred Asquith traveled to the United States in 1958 – where they visited Piggly Wiggly, billed as the world’s first self-service supermarket.
The couple were so inspired by their business trip that they decided to convert a theater in Castleford formerly known as ‘The Queens’ into a superstore in 1963.
As they upgrade their business, the brothers decide to hire a new team to oversee the shop’s butchers.
Associated Dairies & Farm Stores Ltd was founded in 1949 and brought together a group of local farmers in the West Riding area.
While the Asquith brothers were opening their own supermarkets in the 1950s and 1960s, the Associated Dairies team opened a chain of pork butchers along with a Craven Dairies branch of coffeehouses.
In 1965, Peter Asquith contacted Noel Stockdale of Associated Dairies to discuss merging their businesses.
As detailed in supermarket siteThe team decided the brand needed a new name and settled on Asda – combining “As” for Asquith and “Da” for “Dairies”.
Alastair’s tweet sparked a lively discussion among followers – with many assuming it stood for Associated Dairies.
Alastair’s tweet sparked a lively discussion among followers – many left dumbfounded that they had never stopped questioning the name before.
Someone replied: I didn’t know that!
Another joked, “I don’t know anything without Google.” “So the answer is no.”
Meanwhile, others have insisted the name stands for “Associate Dairies” – prompting Asda’s social media team to get involved.
A third said: Wow! How many wrong answers can one post get?
ASquith + Dairies. Peter Asquith is in contact with Associated Dairies, according to their website.
In response, Asda’s official Twitter account said: ‘Awesome response Stephen! It’s great to see your knowledge of our history!
Soon after the merger, Asda became the first food store to start selling general merchandise in 1966. There are currently over 630 Asda stores across the UK.
In other news, people are just finding out what ASOS stands for — and they’re shocked.
