Percy Pigs: M&S reaches agreement with sweet company in dispute

Percy Pigs have been a huge success since they were introduced in the 1990s

Marks & Spencer said it has reached an "amicable resolution" with a confectionary company in a row over the Percy Pigs sweets.

Lawyers for the retailer had contacted Swizzels over their Pigs Mugs sweets, which they said were too similar to their popular porcine-shaped treat.

Derbyshire-based Swizzels has agreed to change the design of its Pigs Mugs sweets as a result.

It is one of a number of legal actions taken by M&S in recent years.

'Significant investment'

In February Aldi lost a court battle after being accused of copying its light-up Christmas gin bottles from M&S.

The two retailers also had a row when the German supermarket was accused of copying Colin the Caterpillar for its chocolate cake Cuthbert.

Percy Pigs was also at the heart of a dispute with an ice cream parlour in Hertfordshire, which changed the name of a flavour to The Notorious P.I.G. after being approached by M&S.

• Why are Percy Pigs a headache for M&S?

A document filed at the High Court in London last November said the Percy Pig brand had generated £131.7m turnover since its launch in 1993, with 271 bags sold each minute.

One customer loved the sweets so much they had a tattoo of Percy's face, legal submissions said.

"M&S has made a significant investment in building a strong Percy Pig brand over the past 30 years and believe it is important to protect the registered trademarks relating to Percy Pig's appearance," a spokesman said.

Founded in 1928, Swizzels produces confectionary such as Drumsticks, Parma Violets and Refreshers, and has been selling its Pigs Mugs sweets since 1996.

M&S's Percy Pig character has been used to lead its Christmas campaign