Sunderland's Tan Solo, Amy's Winehouse and Aye Phones in running to be named UK's 'punniest' shop

Witty Sunderland business owners are in line to be honoured with the title of the UK's 'punniest' shop name.

Language learning site Babbel has launched a vote to find the find the nation's most clever and amusing shop names which use puns in their title.

Sunderland's Amy's Winehouse in St Thomas Street is one of the best-known of the city's pun-based shop titles, but there are many more.

The Sunniside business makes the North East shortlist, together with the Tan Solo tanning salon in Ryhope Road, and Aye Phones in Borough Road.

Other puntastic North East firms on the list include Sofa So Good in Durham, the Mule on Rouge cafe in Berwick, Morgan Treeman tree surgeon in Morpeth and Lino Richie flooring in Newcastle.

Babbel analysed TikTok, Instagram, X (Twitter), and Facebook to shortlist the UK shops - with clever or amusing puns in their names - that are most frequently celebrated on social media. 

The company is how inviting the public to vote for its favourite at https://uk.babbel.com/shop-pun-competition. 

Noël Wolf, linguistic and cultural expert at Babbel, said: "“The linguistic phenomenon of the pun is a play on words that transcends cultures, but it undeniably holds a special place in British hearts.

"The history of puns in the UK is steeped in tradition, dating back through centuries of literature, comedy, and everyday conversation.

"The beauty of a pun lies in its ability to exploit the versatile vocabulary and multiplicity of meanings of English - the prevalence of the pun in Britain is testament to the flexibility and richness of the English language.

"Puns serve as a reminder that language is a dynamic and playful tool that can be harnessed to entertain, educate, and connect people. Whether in casual conversations, literature, or advertising, puns have the ability to captivate our minds and elevate our communication.”

The North East shortlist in full

• Tan Solo, Tanning salon, Sunderland

• Amy's Winehouse, Wine shop, Sunderland

• OnlyTans, Tanning salon, Durham

• The Tees’pot, Tearoom, Middleton-in-Teesdale

• Sofa So Good, Sofa store, Durham

• Morgan Treeman, ​​Tree surgeon, Morpeth

• The Mule on Rouge, Café, Berwick-upon-Tweed

• Sushi Me Rollin’, Sushi, Newcastle

• Aye Phones, Mobile phone shop, Sunderland

• Lino Richie, Flooring, Newcastle