Do YOU know what these brands are really called?

It might come as a surprise that some of the world’s biggest brands are known only by an acronym – rather than their full name.

Some are more obvious – like H&M and B&Q – but others hide the fact well, with shoppers taken aback to find that supermarket Asda has much more to its title. 

Others such as IKEA, Lego and search engine Yahoo! are also known by shortened versions of their name – so much so that customers may not recognise it in full. 

Largely this is because the brands are named after their founders, but not always. 

Without turning to Google – do YOU know what these brand names stand for?      

IKEA

Swedish furniture – and meatballs – brand IKEA has a name that encompasses a few different details about its founder – Ingvar Kamprad.

The first two letters of the name are of course his initials, while the E is taken from the farm Mr Kamprad grew up on, Elmtaryd.

The final letter of the flat-pack store is taken from Agunnaryd, the village nearby.

Lego 

It might come as a surprise that construction toy brand Lego also goes by a shortened version of its name

It might come as a surprise that construction toy brand Lego also goes by a shortened version of its name.

The Danish company took the name from the native saying ‘leg godt’, which translates to ‘play well’ in English.

Not only this, but the name given to the brand by Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1932 was actually The Lego Group – but it is only ever referred to as simply Lego.

H&M

The store was first known as Hennes when it opened in 1947 – a Swedish word meaning ‘Hers’ 

Another brand that goes by two initials is Swedish clothing company H&M.

The store was first known as Hennes when it opened in 1947 – a Swedish word meaning ‘Hers’ in English.

This explains where the ‘H’ hails from, but what about the ‘M’?

The second letter was taken from Mauritz Widfors – a hunting and fishing apparel retailer that Hennes decided to buy in 1968.   

Odeon

Odeon, introduced to the UK in 1928, is, in fact, an acronym. It stands for: Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation

This popular cinema’s name has more to it than might first meet the eye.

Odeon, introduced to the UK in 1928, is, in fact, an acronym. It stands for: Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation.

Oscar Deutsch was a businessman from Birmingham, who opened 250 cinemas across the UK in less than a decade. 

it is also worth noting that ‘Odeon’ was initially a term for the amphitheatres of ancient Greece, but Mr Deutsch decided to make it his own.   

Yahoo!      

It turns out that search engine Yahoo! is not only an exclamation of joy – but a rather lengthy acronym first established in 1995

This one might come as a surprise.

It turns out that search engine Yahoo! is not only an exclamation of joy – but a rather lengthy acronym first established in 1995. 

 According to the company’s website, it in fact means: ‘Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle.’

ASOS

ASOS is one of the largest clothing brands in the world with millions of shoppers purchasing the newest trends on its online platform every day 

ASOS is one of the largest clothing brands in the world with millions of shoppers purchasing the newest trends on its online platform every day. 

However, many shoppers are only now realising what the acronym stands for – and they are shocked.

It turns out the four letters of ASOS don’t have any sentimental meaning.

In fact, when the outlet was found back in 1999, it was intended to be a place that TV and movie fans could turn to to find replicas of the ensembles they’d seen on their screens.

From there, people began referring to the company as As Seen On Screen, and in 2000, that was what it officially became known as.

So Asos *drum roll* stands for – As Seen On Screen.

Asda

The origins of the name of supermarket Asda (pictured above in Cheshire) is potentially the most surprising of this list 

Supermarket Asda is potentially the most surprising of this list.  

It came into existence in 1965 following a merger between two companies, the Asquith family business and Associated Dairies & Farm Stores Ltd, hence the name.

As detailed on the supermarket’s website and confirmed by a spokesperson, the team settled on the name Asda for the business – as it combined the ‘As’ of Asquith and the ‘Da’ of ‘Dairies’. 

B&Q

For DIY lovers, gardeners and the houseproud, B&Q is a popular spot for all their essentials – but what does the name of hardware giant B&Q stand for? 

For DIY lovers, gardeners and the houseproud, B&Q is a popular spot for all their essentials – but what does the name of hardware giant B&Q stand for?

Their first store was based in a disused cinema in Southampton and was originally called Block and Quayle but this was later shortened to B&Q.

The founding partners set up the brand with the aim of bringing good value DIY products to all shoppers as supplies were previously restricted to builders’ merchants and hardware stores.   

Block and Quayle paid themselves £90 a month each and worked a six-day week, while customers flocked to buy cheap paint, shelving and tools.

After six months they had paid off their bank loan and within five years the company was reaching a £1 million turnover.

They set up their second shop in Portsmouth and the retailer expanded across the South East, setting up 26 branches by the end of the 1970s.

Richard left B&Q in 1976 and began growing tomatoes in the Channel Islands while David stayed, before selling out to Woolworths four years later.

The retailer continued its expansion, merging with French DIY retailer, Castorama, to become the largest DIY retailer in Europe and also opened stores in China and Taiwan.

David Quayle died in 2010 and left £4.4million in his will with probate records showing he left the bulk of his estate in trust for his second wife Chrissie and children.

The Derbyshire Times reported that Richard Block, who was local to the area, died this month, aged 80.

B&M

Bargain hotspot B&M also has more to its name than first may appear. The business – which sells branded goods at low prices – was first known as Billington & Mayman – a name which derived from the man behind the business, Malcolm Billington

Bargain hotspot B&M also has more to its name than first may appear.

The business – which sells branded goods at low prices – was first known as Billington & Mayman – a name which derived from the man behind the business, Malcolm Billington.

B&M sells a huge range of items for the home – from furniture to electricals and stationery to cleaning products – and tries to lure in shoppers with big discounts on popular items. 

It’s been such a mystery that even the billionaire boss Simon Arora once admitted that he did not know what ‘B&M’ stands for. 

In an interview with the McKinsey Alumni Center, he revealed: ‘Someone once told told me that it was obvious – it stands for ‘Bargains and More’.’