Lidl has trademarked “heat, eat & enjoy”, leading to speculation that it is gearing up to launch a new range of ready meals.

The discounter has registered the trademark under class 29 and class 30. Both cover ready-to-serve meals and food groups like meat and vegetables.

This discounter has also registered a logo to accompany the application, which features steam rising from the ampersand.

“Lidl is clearly taking the fight to the bigger supermarkets with what looks like a move into ready meals,” said Phil Dorrell, director at retail consultancy Retail Remedy.

“Ready meals deliver good profit margins at all price points, so I’d expect the Lidl offerings to be priced very competitively,” he added.

The trademark application is currently pending with the Intellectual Property Office