To suggest it’s a uniquely British thing to pluralise company names?

[ApertureGLaDOS]

I actually may be unreasonable as I have no idea about what the rest of the world do, BUT…

… I was watching an episode of Food Theory on YouTube and he mentioned repeatedly, ‘Cadbury’. I found it so weird and jarring because it is known as ‘Cadbury’s’ to me. I suppose on reflection it makes sense because I think we are sold ‘Cadbury’s chocolate’ rather than just a product from Cadbury, but it sticks and I refer to it in that sense all the time (I don’t say Nestle’s or Mars’ for example).

And it’s not just that - I go to Tesco’s, not Tesco. And whilst I don’t say it myself I’ve heard friends shopping at ‘Lidl’s’ and even Asda’s.

So is it a British thing or is pluralising companies in common usage a thing done world over?

Waitrose not Waitroses though. Though I never shop there.

I have a Tesco’s (Tesco express) and a ‘big Tesco’ which is actually very medium compared to my last big Tesco in my old town.

It was Cadbury's and old ads and packaging had the 's. Then it became Cadbury Schweppes and now Cadbury plc. Somewhere along the line I think they bought Fry's too.

Well does that not depend on how he trademarked it? Do you call John Lewis ‘John Lewis’s for example?

East Yorkshire here too and don’t forget Boyes’s!

No, it's due to bad grammar

It is proper weird when you think about it.

I'm in the West Coast of Scotland and would never say Tescos etc. I say, ' I'm nipping to Tesco/ Aldi/ Lidl/ Boots'

The only one I do say is " I'm off to Sainsbury's" as that is officially a possessive.

So, the 'All Brits' do this is null and void.

Not sure anyone said it was "all Brits" 🤔

Dad’s friend (spoken in an even more Scouse accent than DF) use to say “The Asdas” 😂

Selfridges, founded by Mr Selfridge. I can’t find anything that explains if it was ever Selfridge’s.

I don’t suggest it’s all Brits, but I do think it’s a thing Brits do and not others.

I really want to hear from people who don’t live in Britain, or actually perhaps the British Isles because I think it may be a cultural thing that we do for some strange reason.

Lots of Scots do say “Tesco’s” though @Puffalicious . My whole family does. This isn’t a Scottish vs English thing.

My Mum and Nan always called M&S "Marks's" (pronounced like "Marksies")

Suspect some will be the possessive with an omitted word for their products/locations - Cadbury's (chocolates), Tesco's stores...

Rather than solely British, I had a look at an American firm with products similar to Cadbury's and Wikipedia states - The Hershey Company, commonly known as Hershey's, is an American multinational company and one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world

It’s interesting in that many of these stores have dropped the ownership apostrophe. Booths are the same. I wonder if our language and the way we talk about them are manipulated to make them sound more plentiful and therefore more established.

I didn't mean that it was a Scotland V England thing. Just saying we don't all say it. Also irritated that it was initially presented as a plural😱

Tesco is just that but Sainsbury’s is their proper name

Op re other countries I’m trying to remember if we do in Aus eg Myer and I can’t remember

Unqueness and National characteristics are interesting - a room of people from England and a similar room from France are recognisably different. Put the farmers, the entrepreneurs and the union officials from both nations together in three separate rooms and they will be recognisably similar to each other and differ from the other two rooms while not losing their Englishness and Frenchness.

Icelandic hakari is something I'll give Iceland as unique unless posters can identify similar elsewhere.

Are you in the West Country?
I agree with Asdal, but Tesco's and Sainsbury's need an apostrophe, or it doesn't work.
Just Lidl and Aldi though.

With me, I think it often depends if it sounds like a person's name or not.

So always: Marks & Spencer's, Sainsbury's, Cadbury's, WHSmith's, Wetherspoon's
Never: Aldi's, Lidl's, Cards Direct's, Natwest's

My parents in Australia definitely call Myer "Myer's".

Asdal! Yes it's that pesky south-westerly wind - we need the L as a draught-stopper

Completely agree!

I say
The Co-op
Waitrose
Asda
Sainsbury's
Tesco
The Spar
Marks and Spencer (M&S)
Bainbridge's / John Lewis (Newcastle)
Fenwick's