Asda faces legal wrangle with Waitrose after investing £45m in budget range

The cut-price range comes after the retailer was criticised over shortages of its cheapest items

Asda faces a legal wrangle with Waitrose after unveiling a new 70m cut-price grocery range with a similar name to its pricier rival's established discount brand.

Waitrose, which has used the Essential Waitrose brand for about 13 years, said it had sent a legal letter to its bigger rival over its new brand name Just Essentials by Asda on Monday.