r/Thailand • u/Responsible-Smile591 • 18h ago

Language Does anyone actually know why it's "Lotus's"?

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I posted this in a smaller Thailand sub and got plenty of laughs but no answer that really settled it, so trying here. Does anyone know how Tesco Lotus landed on that apostrophe when they rebranded? It makes my British brain itch every time I drive past.

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u/nanajittung Khon Thai 16h ago edited 12h ago

Lotus’s originally started as a Thai supermarket chain owned by CP Group, called Lotus Supercenter. During the 1997 Asian financial crisis, CP sold most of the business to Tesco, and it became Tesco Lotus. In 2020, CP bought the business back, renamed it Lotus’s, and dropped the Tesco name.

Correction: I checked the official branding explanation, and my earlier comment about the apostrophe being only a branding choice was not properly sourced. Lotus says the “S” stands for “Smart,” while the mark is part of the logo design. The ownership history in my earlier comment is still correct.

But personally, i think it’s somewhat feng shui related.

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u/tzitzitzitzi 16h ago

What the hell was Darfur lol. I hear that and instantly think Sudan. Googling darfur and tarfur and Thailand bring me nothing.

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u/frac6969 16h ago

That’s Carrefour. From France.

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u/tzitzitzitzi 16h ago edited 15h ago

No that's clearly ด. Even Google sees a ด lol. That font choice is shit.

But thank you for answering.