A £10 bag for life designed by Anya Hindmarch has become a status symbol for some UK shoppers, with queues forming outside supermarkets eager to buy the latest design.
The Universal Bag, a sturdy tote sold in UK supermarkets for between £10 and £15, comes in several colours. The latest pink and green design is a collaboration with Waitrose's Dish podcast, hosted by Nick Grimshaw and Michelin star chef Angela Hartnett.
Queues and website surge
Customers have been queuing around the block to get the new bag, with staff at one store reporting a queue of 50 people formed in the early hours. Staff at several Waitrose stores in London reported customers swarming in as the store opened to nab the bags.
Waitrose's website saw a traffic boost of 1,000% when the bags went on sale. Many have already appeared on reselling sites like eBay, with some being sold for a significantly higher price than at Waitrose.
Resale demand
Chef Hartnett co-created the new design. She said: "The idea stemmed from [the podcast’s producer] Sam and my best mate, who loved the original green bag from Waitrose."
One 26-year-old said she was given two of the bags for Christmas and put them on eBay. "I knew I could make a bit of money selling them on eBay," she said. "I’d seen some going for more than £100. Nearly a year later, and they come with me everywhere. The big one acts as my work/shopping/sleepover bag, and the mini one is my lunchbox," she told The Telegraph.
Recycled plastic design
Hindmarch previously revealed she wanted the bags, made from recycled plastic, to be in each supermarket in corresponding colours. Yellow bags have been sold in Morrisons and blue ones in Tesco, for example.
"Ensuring something that’s 100 per cent recyclable is a challenge, but the number one [challenge] is making something desirable," she said.
