For 67 years, shoppers have been visiting Londis stores without knowing the meaning behind the name. The convenience store chain recently went viral after a Reddit discussion about its pronunciation led to the revelation that the name is a contraction of 'London District Stores'.
The chain was founded in 1959 by a group of independent retail grocers aiming to establish a wholesale company owned by the retailers it served. The name 'Londis' was derived from 'London District Stores', a fact that has surprised many customers.
The Reddit thread began with a user asking whether the correct pronunciation is 'Londiss' or 'Londies'. Most respondents insisted on 'Londiss', with one user noting, 'It's from London and District I believe, so Londiss is right.' Another commented, 'Well blow me down,' upon learning the origin.
Londis now has over 2,000 shops and has been a subsidiary of Tesco PLC since 2018, following the acquisition of its parent company, Booker Group. However, the Londis brand in Ireland is no longer related to the UK chain.
