An Aldi store in Greater Manchester rebranded Aldeh in honour of Oasis is to keep the new name, the supermarket chain has said.
The new sign was erected at the Prestwich store before the Oasis homecoming gigs earlier this month. The band played five sold-out shows at Heaton Park, which is near the store.
It was meant to be a temporary name change, but the sign has been a massive hit with tourists and local people, with Oasis fans queueing outside for selfies.
The sign has even been listed on Google Maps as a cultural landmark, with a string of glowing five-star reviews calling it “the Stonehenge of a generation” and “the greatest rebrand of all time”.
The rebrand has been supported by Noel Gallagher’s daughter Anaïs, and Liam Gallagher himself, who shared a picture of the sign on his Instagram.
A petition to make the sign permanent, which received the backing of the local MP Christian Wakeford, was launched by Mancunian Ella Curtis, who wrote: “What started as a nod to a special reunion, quickly took on a life of its own. The rebrand resonated with people across Manchester and beyond.
“Photos of the sign went viral, because it tapped into something meaningful: pride in where we’re from, and in what this city has given the world,” she added. “In short, Prestwich got its own blue plaque.”
Giles Hurley, the CEO of Aldi UK, said the response to the sign had been “supersonic”, with “Oasis fans and proud Mancunians visiting the store to see it for themselves”.
“Last week, a petition was launched by a local resident calling for us to keep the sign,” he added. “So naturally, we took to social media to see what our shoppers thought, turns out … people are mad for it and want the sign to stay.”
He added: “I’m pleased to announce that we’ll be keeping the Aldeh sign as a tribute to Manchester. As you were.”
“We’ve been blown away by the public’s reaction to Aldeh,” Julie Ashfield, the chief commercial officer at Aldi UK, said. “What started as a fun, temporary tribute to Oasis and the local accent has turned into something far bigger. We’ve heard shoppers loud and clear, and we’re absolutely delighted to keep the sign up for the long haul.
“It’s been brilliant to see the joy it’s brought to fans and the Manchester community.”
