A shopkeeper is proving that 'every little helps' in business - after painting his sign in a strikingly similar style to Tesco.

Sris Kumar, 41, is risking the wrath of the supermarket giant after he named the shop Hereford Express using red-white-and-blue colours.

The shop, on Folly Lane in Hereford, changed its signage two weeks ago and pictures of it have been shared hundreds of times on social media.

Sris Kumar, 41, is risking the wrath of the supermarket giant after he named the shop Hereford Express using red-white-and-blue colours

Customers on social media have likened it to Tesco Express, with one writing: 'I think someone might be in a wee bit of trouble with Tescos

The shop, on Folly Lane in Hereford, changed its signage two weeks ago and pictures of it have been shared hundreds of times on social media.

But despite the close comparison to Tesco, Mr Kumar, who took over the shop last year, is adamant he has not copied the logo.

The father-of-two said: 'We changed the shop sign two weeks ago. I like the colours and wanted it to stand out from the other shops.

'Of course I have been to Tesco before but to my eye, ours isn't the same. The font is different and we have more blue dashes.

'There are also other things which make our sign unique. The word Hereford looks nothing like Tesco either.'

But customers have been quick to draw comparisons, with some posting pictures of the shop next to Tesco signs.

User ragwert posted on a local Hereford website: 'I think someone might be in a wee bit of trouble with Tescos.'

‹ Slide me › But despite the close comparison to Tesco, Mr Kumar, who took over the shop last year, is adamant he has not copied the iconic logo

Twitter user Roger added: 'The font/styling/colours are virtually identical to Tesco. I think they've wasted money on that makeover as they'll have to remove it when Tesco get on the case*'

Two years ago Tesco lost its bid to trademark the five blue dashes which underline the store's name on their signs.

The Intellectual Property Office rejected their claim saying that while it was recognised that the dashes might be associated with Tesco, they only represented punctuation.

A Tesco spokesman yesterday refused to comment on the Hereford Express signage.

He added: 'We do not comment on specific cases but we always take appropriate steps in order to protect our brand.'

In 2010, exclusive superstore Harrods has told a roadside cafe to change its sign because it is too similar to the luxury brand, the store has claimed.

In 2010, exclusive superstore Harrods has told roadside cafe Hollands to change its sign because it is too similar to the luxury brand, according to owners Nigel and Leyla (pictured) Holland the store has claimed

The Tokyo 2020 logo (left) is set to be scrapped as there have been accusations that it was copied from the Theatre de Liege logo in Belgium

Hollands Cafe Lounge received a letter on May 15 from the shop's bosses accusing them of 'copyright infringement' of their famous sign.

But the family-run restaurant, which nestles on the side of the busy A12 near Rivenhall, Essex, is a far cry from the million-square foot store in Knightsbridge, London.

In 2011, a blogger in the US wondered into an Apple shop in China but later realised that the shop - emblazoned with logos everywhere - was a total fake, with no affiliation to the company.

She noticed that the signage said ‘Apple Store’ – but then realised that Steve Jobs’ electronics giant never writes those words on its signs.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed other things that weren’t quite right, as the sales people didn't have their names written on the badges, only 'staff', and the stairs in the store were badly made.