Earlier this week, Malaysians were shocked and saddened to hear that the iconic pineapple brand Lee will shut its pineapple business after 92 years.
The news caused fans to flock to Lee’s factory in Skudai, Johor, to buy cartons of cans home.
Even though the factory is now closed for direct purchases, Singaporeans have reportedly been rushing to buy Lee’s canned pineapple juice from at least one supermarket in Johor Bahru (JB).
Source: China Press on Facebook
On Friday (11 Aug), just days after the news broke, not many cans of Lee pineapple juice were left on shelves of supermarkets and grocery stores in JB, reported the China Press.
Source: China Press
It was also out of stock in warehouses everywhere.
Some supermarkets said they only brought in stock ahead of the Lunar New Year festive season, while others didn’t typically sell it.
Basri, a supervisor at the Giant supermarket in Taman Pelangi and Pelangi Leisure Mall, told China Press that people have been sweeping cans of Lee’s pineapple juice off shelves since Tuesday (8 Aug).
That was when news of Lee shutting down their pineapple business was released.
Source: Google Maps
Apart from Malaysians, even Singaporeans flocked to the supermarket to buy Lee pineapple juice, said the 30-year-old.
Many of these customers would come at night, he added.
He estimated that each customer would buy at least 10 cans, so there’s now no more product stock in their warehouse.
Nevertheless, the supermarket will continue to sell it at RM3.60 (S$1.06) per can and hasn’t raised the selling price despite news of its discontinuation.
Mr Wang Yuanguang (transliterated from Mandarin), the owner of a store in Gelang Patah, said he had only six cans of Lee pineapple juice left.
Source: China Press
While he has always stocked the product, stocks are now low due to the rush of customers buying it.
He added that most of his customers are nearby residents, who have bought more cans of the product than usual since Wednesday (9 Aug).
However, he will maintain his price of RM2.50 (S$0.74) per can and expects them to sell out very soon.
Fans of Lee’s pineapple products have reportedly lamented the news of its discontinuation, saying their pineapple juice is a must-have drink and gift for the Lunar New Year.
Thus, they flocked to Lee’s factory in Skudai on Tuesday (8 Aug), the last day the public could purchase it there, reported the China Press.
Source: Elyn Teo on Facebook
Due to the large crowd that descended on the factory since that morning, they restricted buyers to a maximum of 20 cartons each.
Source: Nanyang Siang Pau on Facebook
Nevertheless, it was observed that people drove cars, minivans, small coaches, motorcycles and even lorries to snap up the products.
A woman posted on Facebook that news of Lee discontinuing their pineapple products had passed from her grandmother to her parents.
Thus, she decided to rush to buy the remaining cans from the factory as the brand would soon “pass into history”, and there would be no more of it left to drink, she said.
Source: Elyn Teo on Facebook
Lee’s factory ended up closing at 3pm that day as demand outstripped supply.
Staff had to close the gates and stop taking more orders from that time.
Since then, the factory has been closed to the public and will be shuttered for the next two months.
So if you haven’t had a last taste of Lee’s pineapple juice, it’s probably too late by now, even if you scour stores in JB.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Elyn Teo on Facebook and Google Maps.
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