Why Some Global Brands Have Different Names Abroad

The potato chips you call Lay's are called Walkers in the UK, Smith's in Australia, Sabritas in Mexico, Elma Chips in Brazil, Chipsy in Egypt, and Tapuchips in Israel. The burger chain you know as Burger King is called Hungry Jack's in Australia. The fried chicken you order as KFC is called PFK in Quebec. The cleaning product you call Mr. Clean is called Don Limpio in Spain, Mister Proper in Germany, and Monsieur Propre in France.

A familiar package can feel strangely different when you find it in another country. The colors may be the same, the logo may seem close enough, and the product may even taste like the one you remember. Then you look twice and notice the name is not the one you grew up with.

Global brands change their names abroad for three reasons: trademark conflicts, local brand equity, and language or cultural fit. We traced why your favorite brands have different names around the world. The parent company stays the same. The name on the package changes. For more on how brands mean different things in different countries, see our brands that mean different things in different countries.

Lay's, Walkers, Smith's, Sabritas

PepsiCo's flagship potato chip brand Lay's is known by various regional names thanks to its international expansion through acquisitions. In the UK and Ireland, it is Walkers. In Australia, it is Smith's. In Mexico, it is Sabritas. In Brazil, it is Elma Chips. In Egypt, it is Chipsy. In Israel, it is Tapuchips.

PepsiCo acquired British snack brand Walkers Crisps in 1989. Walkers had 41 years of brand-name recognition before PepsiCo bought it. PepsiCo is said to have considered renaming Walkers to Lay's but ultimately decided that such a radical change would damage consumer loyalty in the UK. Replacing that name would have meant asking customers to forget something they already liked.

The red, wavy banner used across these variants acts as a visual anchor. The name changes. The visual identity signals that these are all the same family of products. Lay's is publicly traded on the Nasdaq under the ticker PEP. The same product, six or more different names, all owned by the same parent.

Burger King and Hungry Jack's

When Burger King first tried to expand to Australia in the 1970s, it faced an unexpected hurdle. A restaurant in Adelaide had already trademarked the name Burger King.

Burger King, then owned by Pillsbury, provided Australian franchisee Jack Cowin with a list of alternative names. Cowin selected "Hungry Jack," the name of a popular Pillsbury pancake mix. The first Hungry Jack's restaurant opened in Perth in 1971.

Hungry Jack's remains the sole master franchise of Burger King Corporation in Australia, proudly Aussie-owned. There are now more than 440 outlets across Australia. Jack Cowin's company, Competitive Foods Australia, operates the franchise.

Burger King is owned by Restaurant Brands International (NYSE: QSR), the same company that owns Tim Hortons and Popeyes. Hungry Jack's is owned by Jack Cowin's Competitive Foods Australia as the Australian master franchisee. The Whopper lives on Down Under, just under a different name. The trademark conflict in Adelaide in the 1970s created a permanently separate brand identity in Australia.

KFC and PFK

In the Canadian province of Quebec, KFC is PFK, short for Poulet Frit Kentucky.

The Office Quebecois de la Langue Francaise, the Quebec government's language watchdog, insists that commercial brand names displayed in Quebec must include an element of French. KFC complied by becoming PFK, translating "Kentucky Fried Chicken" into "Poulet Frit Kentucky."

In France, the place where the French language comes from, KFC still goes by the name KFC. France does not have the same language laws as Quebec. The brand that means one thing in Quebec means something completely different in the country where the language originated.

KFC is owned by Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM), which also owns Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Only in Quebec does KFC become PFK. It is a legal requirement, not a marketing choice.

Mr. Clean, Don Limpio, Flash, Mister Proper

Mr. Clean is a primary example of aggressive localization by a single parent company. The product is owned by Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), but the name changes by country.

In Spain, it is Don Limpio. In Mexico, it is Maestro Limpio. In Germany, it is Mister Proper. In France, it is Monsieur Propre. In the UK and Ireland, it is Flash, because the name Mr. Clean was already taken when P&G expanded into those markets. P&G ditched the buff bald guy and came up with an entirely new brand name to work around the trademark conflict.

One product. Six or more names. All owned by P&G. The bald man with the earring appears on the packaging in most markets, but the name he goes by changes at every border.

TJ Maxx and TK Maxx

It might be known as TJ Maxx across the United States, but in the UK, Europe, and Australia, the fashion and lifestyle discount store is better known as TK Maxx.

When TJX, the parent company of TJ Maxx, looked at expanding into the UK, it found that there was a retailer with a similar name already operating there: TJ Hughes. TJX decided to switch its "J" for a "K," and TK Maxx was born.

TJ Maxx is owned by The TJX Companies (NYSE: TJX), which also owns Marshalls, HomeGoods, and Sierra. One letter changed to avoid a trademark conflict, and TK Maxx became a separate brand identity across Europe and Australia. The stores look the same inside. The branding looks the same. The name is different by one letter, all because of a department store in Liverpool.

Olay, Oil of Ulay, Oil of Olaz, Oil of Ulan

Initially, Procter & Gamble branded its newly acquired Olay products as Oil of Ulay in the UK and Ireland, Oil of Olaz across mainland Europe, and Oil of Ulan in Australia.

Today, the "Oil of" part of the name has been dropped, with the brand identity standardized across most territories to simply Olay. In German-speaking countries, the brand is still called Olaz.

P&G is gradually consolidating the name globally, but some regional names persist. The brand you know as Olay in the US is still Olaz in Germany. The consolidation of a global brand name takes decades, and in some markets, the old name refuses to die.

The Three Reasons for Name Changes

Global brands change their names abroad for three practical reasons.

Trademark conflicts. Burger King became Hungry Jack's in Australia because a restaurant in Adelaide owned the name. TJ Maxx became TK Maxx in Europe because TJ Hughes already existed in the UK. Mr. Clean became Flash in the UK and Ireland because the Mr. Clean name was taken. When a brand cannot use its name in a market, it creates a new one.

Local brand equity. Lay's stayed as Walkers in the UK because Walkers had 41 years of brand recognition. Lay's stayed as Smith's in Australia and Sabritas in Mexico for the same reason. Replacing that name would have meant asking customers to forget something they already liked. When a brand acquires a local company, it often keeps the local name to preserve consumer loyalty.

Language and cultural fit. KFC became PFK in Quebec because Quebec language law requires French in commercial brand names. Mr. Clean became Don Limpio in Spain and Mister Proper in Germany because the English name does not translate well. Mercedes-Benz changed from Bensi, which sounded like "rush to die" in Mandarin, to Benchi, meaning "run quickly." A word that works in one country sounds awkward, confusing, or less appealing somewhere else.

What This Means for Brand Ownership

Global brands change names for practical reasons: trademarks, local equity, and language. But the parent company stays the same. Lay's and Walkers are both PepsiCo. Burger King and Hungry Jack's are both under Restaurant Brands International's master franchise system. Mr. Clean and Don Limpio are both P&G. TJ Maxx and TK Maxx are both TJX.

These name changes are part business decision and part cultural snapshot. They show how global brands adapt to local markets without changing the corporate ownership behind them. The name on the shelf is local. The company behind it is global.

Use WhoBrands.com to discover the real parent company behind every brand name, no matter what it is called in your country. For more on regional brands that have been acquired by global companies, see our regional brands that got swallowed by multinationals.

FAQ

Why is Lay's called Walkers in the UK?

PepsiCo acquired Walkers Crisps in 1989. Walkers had 41 years of brand-name recognition in the UK. PepsiCo considered renaming Walkers to Lay's but decided that such a radical change would damage consumer loyalty. The same product is called Lay's in the US, Smith's in Australia, Sabritas in Mexico, and Elma Chips in Brazil, all owned by PepsiCo.

Why is Burger King called Hungry Jack's in Australia?

When Burger King tried to expand to Australia in the 1970s, a restaurant in Adelaide had already trademarked the name Burger King. Burger King's then-owner Pillsbury gave franchisee Jack Cowin a list of alternative names. Cowin chose "Hungry Jack," the name of a Pillsbury pancake mix. There are now over 440 Hungry Jack's outlets in Australia, operated by Competitive Foods Australia as the Burger King master franchisee.

What is KFC called in Quebec?

In Quebec, KFC is called PFK, short for Poulet Frit Kentucky. The Office Quebecois de la Langue Francaise requires commercial brand names displayed in Quebec to include an element of French. In France itself, KFC still goes by KFC, because France does not have the same language laws as Quebec.

Why is TJ Maxx called TK Maxx in Europe?

When TJX Companies looked at expanding TJ Maxx into the UK, it found that a retailer called TJ Hughes was already operating there. To avoid trademark confusion, TJX changed the "J" to a "K," creating TK Maxx. The stores operate across the UK, Europe, and Australia under the TK Maxx name, all owned by The TJX Companies (NYSE: TJX).

Explore Related Brands

• Lay's - Potato chips, owned by PepsiCo, called Walkers in UK and Smith's in Australia
• Walkers - UK crisps brand, owned by PepsiCo, the British name for Lay's
• Burger King - Fast food, owned by Restaurant Brands International
• Hungry Jack's - Australian Burger King franchise, operated by Competitive Foods Australia
• KFC - Fried chicken, owned by Yum! Brands, called PFK in Quebec
• Mr. Clean - Cleaning product, owned by P&G, called Don Limpio in Spain and Flash in UK

Browse all household and consumer goods brands →

Sources

1. Yahoo Finance: 14 brands with very different names around the world -- https://finance.yahoo.com/ 2. Marketing Scoop: Lost in Translation: Why the World's Biggest Brands Have Different Names Abroad -- https://marketingscoop.com/ 3. HubSpot: What's in a Name? What 6 Popular Brands Are Called Across the Globe -- https://www.hubspot.com/ 4. IBTimes: Why Burger King Is Called Hungry Jack's in Australia -- https://www.ibtimes.com/ 5. Constative: Why Your Favorite Brands Go by Different Names Around the World -- https://constative.com/

All brand ownership data verified through WhoBrands.com research methodology. Last updated: September 2026.

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