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Viral 12-Grapes New Year Ritual Spurs Sellouts and Retail Tie-Ins

A social-media surge has turned the Spanish ritual into a retail event, driving sellouts plus branded grape packs.

Overview

  • Tesco released a New Year’s Eve pack of 12 seedless grapes priced at £1.25, or £1 for Clubcard members, drawing both praise and criticism for commodifying the trend.
  • Level Bolton nightclub said it would sell £10 trays of 12 grapes at midnight to let partygoers join the ritual on the dancefloor as a shareable, tongue‑in‑cheek experience.
  • Quick‑commerce apps in India, including Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart, reported inventories running low as last‑minute orders surged on Dec. 31.
  • TikTok- and Reddit-driven variations—such as eating the grapes under a table or pairing the ritual with colored underwear—have broadened participation beyond the original custom.
  • Participants often describe the practice as intention‑setting rather than supernatural, while coverage reiterates its roots in Spain and spread across parts of Latin America.