The Dealer was fascinated to see Kerry Group take a significant customer, Dunnes Stores, to the Commercial Court this week, alleging infringement of trademarks.

Kerry Group manufactures the well-known cheese snack Cheestrings in Charleville, Co Cork.

The product generates sales of over €80m and is sold in Ireland, the UK, France, Germany, Poland, Austria and the Netherlands.

Kerry Group claimed that Dunnes Stores has infringed its registered trademark by launching, without Kerry’s consent, a peelable cheese product under the name Cheesy Strings. Unconfirmed trade reports claim the product is sourced in Slovakia.

Kerry’s legal representatives told the court that the product in Dunnes is very similar in appearance to Cheestrings and could confuse consumers.

The matter was adjourned to later this month. However, a resolution appears in sight: the product was not available in Dunnes Stores visited by The Dealer yesterday.

Incidentally, the Irish-owned retail chain is known for their refusal to engage with the media. However, I am delighted to report that they have begun to engage with customers via a Twitter account, which carries the handle @dunnesstores.