Viral soft drink Prime is on sale for £10-plus per single bottle and can in York city centre.
And at least one resident is making a killing from the huge demand for the brand, YorkMix has learned.
Prime was launched in the USA January 2022 by influencers KSI and Logan Paul.
But rapper KSI and YouTuber Paul only exported the drink to the UK six months later.
Using their huge combined social media platforms, the pair have created a frenzy for Prime, particularly among schoolchildren.
Asda, Morrisons and Sainsburys stock the drink, whilst Aldi had a one-time stock that didn’t last long. In supermarkets it costs around £2 per bottle.
What is Prime?
“Prime Hydration is the brand’s sports drink, which contains coconut water, B vitamins and branched-chain amino acids, which bodybuilders use to promote muscle growth.
“The brand’s energy drink is called Prime Energy, which also contains 200mg of caffeine – double the amount contained in a can of Red Bull.”
Source: The Week
However, such is the demand that it often sells out. When we investigated, all we found were empty shelves in the supermarkets where stocks of Prime were meant to be.
It was available in the city centre – but at a price.
Coney Street store American Candy had Prime cans and bottles in their window and on their front desk. They were charging £10 for bottles – and more for a can of the energy drink.
Meanwhile, savvy York residents have found ways to buy and sell stocks of Prime at significant mark-ups. Facebook Marketplace in York has everything from single bottles to full crates on sale from £5 per bottle, £12 per can and £65 per crate.
We spoke to one man who has had particular success in this market.
The man, who asked to remain anonymous, said he knows shops in the city that import Prime and will sell him a crate of 12 for £55.
He then sells on the bottles individually for around £10, making a healthy profit.
He’s managed to get hold of bottles, cans and even the hard-to-source hydration sticks.
Posting daily on his social media to advertise them, he has made almost £4,000 on his side hustle – and YorkMix has seen the PayPal receipts to prove it.
There is one other place you can go to get Prime drinks in York – at the YorkMix Variety Night this Friday, where Prime will be among the raffle prizes. All funds raised go to St Leonard’s Hospice.
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