Featured Image Credit: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images/John Keeble/Getty Images
Topics: Shopping, Food And Drink, UK News
Anish Vij
Topics: Shopping, Food And Drink, UK News
People are only just finding out what B&M stands for and it's really not what you think.
The B&M we all know and love is great for - well - a bargain.
With a whopping 703 stores in the UK, the company is well known for its below retail garden furniture, homeware, toys, sweets, drinks and beauty products... you name it, they will have it.
From its first store in Blackpool in 1978, B&M now employs over 35,000 staff and is valued at a multi-billion pound company.
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But while most shoppers have forever assumed that B&M stands for 'Bargains & More', but it's completely untrue.
Before revealing the real name of the brand, you've first got to look back at its origins.
The owners, who founded the business in Luxembourg, were relatively unknown until Bobby and Simon Arora from Phildrew Investments acquired the company in 2004 and made it what it is today.
But even Simon didn't know what B&M stood for.
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In an interview with McKinsey Alumni Center, he said: "Someone once told me that it was obvious - it stands for 'Bargains and More'.
"That's good enough for me."
Taking to social media, fans have also been confused for years, as one person wrote: "I thought B&M was bargains & more!"
"What wait, this can't be true!" a second penned, while third added: "My mind is blown."
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Without further ado, B&M is named after its original owners - Malcolm Billington and Brian Mayman.
The company was originally named Billington & Mayman, based on their names, but it was soon shortened to B&M.
One for your quiz night that.
This comes after the bargain retail giant left their customers very happy indeed when they brought back one of the most nostalgic treats ever.
Opal Fruits sweets were gradually phased out in the UK, followed by Ireland, way back in 1998.
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The rebrand was part of an effort to standardise the fruit chews and match what the same sweets were being packaged as in the US at the time - Starburst.
Opal Fruits boasts the OG flavours of lemon, orange, strawberry, and lime, while Starburst also included a mixed lemon and lime sweet as well as a blackcurrant flavour.
While the name change took place over two decades ago - it's clear that Brits still kept the good old Opal Fruits branding in their hearts
Posting a photo of the packet of the once-retro sweets next to a '£1' sign, they posted on X: "We have Opal Fruits if anyone is interested?"