Shoppers have queued through the night outside Sainsbury’s stores in a desperate bid to get hold of the Prime energy drink.
Huge lines of people were seen outside the supermarket chain after an announcement it would be selling the popular drink for the first time today – including a new limited edition orange and mango flavour.
Shoppers immediately took to social media to share pictures of their successful supermarket trips, with many also advising of how much stock was left in their local stores.
But some were left dejected this morning after Sainsbury’s was said to be hit by ‘supply issues’, resulting in empty Prime displays.
Created by YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul, who have a combined social media following of 140 million, scenes of pandemonium broke out at supermarket stores when the hydration drink arrived in the UK in June last year.
Shoppers pictured outside a Sainsbury’s store in Melton Road, Leicester, queuing for Prime this morning
Shoppers were also pictured outside a Sainsbury’s store in Stratford Road, Birmingham, but left empty handed
Demand for the drinks outpaced supply as youngsters tried to emulate their social media heroes.
And there were similar scenes this morning as the new flavour hit the shelves for the first time.
Footage showed scores of shoppers gathering outside stores before they had even opened as part of the rush to buy the new stock.
But Sainsbury’s only began selling Prime from today, finally following the likes of Asda, Aldi and Costco.
A spokesperson said last week: A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: ‘We know our customers actively seek the latest in product innovation.
‘We are excited to be launching the following Prime Hydration products in store from Tuesday 21 February: Lemon Lime, Blue Raspberry, Tropical Punch, Ice Pop, KSI Limited Edition orange and Mango.’
But some stores are not expected to receive their first batch until Thursday, leaving some fans disappointed today.
KSI and Paul have marked their collaboration venture as a healthy alternative to many energy drinks.
As well as the new orange and mango, the drinks come in a range of flavours including Tropical Punch, Grape, Lemon Lime, Ice Pop and Blue Raspberry.
The vast majority of each 500ml bottle is filtered water, mixed with 10 per cent coconut water.
The latter is good source of minerals like potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium important components of in heart, skeletal and muscle health.
Cans of traditional energy drinks can contain more than 80g of sugar and have as much caffeine as three cups of coffee.
In comparison, Prime only has 2g of sugar per bottle, about 7 per cent of an adult’s recommended intake. It instead gets its sweetness from a substances Sucralose and Acesulfame K.
Prime also contains 113 per cent of the daily recommended intake of Vitamin A, 125 per cent of Vitamin E, 243 per cent of Vitamin B6 and 192 per cent of Vitamin B12.
Dietitians remain skeptical of the nutritional benefits of the drink, however.
Such is demand for the drink, stories regularly emerged of young people travelling hundreds of miles to get their hands on Prime.
When Aldi started selling Prime last December, limiting bottles to one per person, customers queued at dawn and were pictured jumping over shelves in the frenzy to get their hands on it.
Prime was created by YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul, who have a combined social media following of 140 million
Demand for the drinks has again outpaced supply as youngsters try to emulate their social media heroes
Shoppers were left disappointed after ‘supply issues’ caused some Sainsbury’s stores to have no stock
A Sainsbury’s store in Stratford Road, Birmingham, where shoppers have queued up this morning
Wakefield Wines, an off-licence in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, went viral after reportedly selling bottles for £100 each, while a 12-pack was advertised for £50,000 on auction site eBay, together fuelling the demand further.
But the craze acquired a sinister edge when a 17-year-old in Kent was arrested for stealing a case, and reports emerged of children being bullied into handing over their drinks.
One ten-year-old was also reportedly punched in the face when he refused to give his drink to a group of teenagers in the park.
KSI and Paul showcased the drink to their followers via a series of goofy videos.
And when the drink launched in the UK, they visited Asda’s Watford store in a Prime-wrapped double-decker bus, drawing huge crowds.
Sainsbury’s has been contacted for comment.