"Footage shows masses of shoppers pushing their way past barricades at a Swatch store in London Battersea Power Station in order to get their hands on the brand's latest collection. Police were forced to attend the site as well with K9s after claims that fights broke out, as well as Westfield Shopping Centre in White City where police dogs were deployed to help control crowds. Loudspeaker announcements informed shoppers the store was closed."
"Today, it was announced that Swatch has temporarily closed its stores across the UK after similar scenes in other cities, with crowds queuing up in their hundreds. Best known for quirky 1980s-themed watches, the Swiss brand teamed up with luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet for the new Royal Pop pocket watch collection. The range of eight models priced from 335 has proved remarkably popular, with some resales being flogged online for as much as 16,000."
"In Merseyside, the Liverpool One retail branch saw shoppers camping for two days outside the store in Paradise Street waiting for the collection to go on sale. Merseyside Police later confirmed it received calls that "a group of males were acting in an aggressive manner and making threats" outside the shop at around 7am on Saturday morning. he Swiss brand teamed up with luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet for the new Royal Pop pocket watch collection. The force added: "Officers attended and the crowd dispersed shortly afterwards.""
"Swatch has issued a statement urging fans "not to rush to our stores in large numbers to acquire this product" as it needs to "ensure the safety of both our customers and our staff". A brand spokesperson said: "The Royal Pop Collection will remain availab"
A stampede occurred at a London shopping centre when shoppers pushed past security barricades at a Swatch store to buy a limited edition Royal Pop pocket watch collection. Police and K9 units were deployed after reports of fights and aggressive behavior, and loudspeaker announcements told shoppers the store was closed. Swatch later temporarily closed stores across the UK after similar crowd scenes in other cities, with queues forming in the hundreds. The Royal Pop collection, created with Audemars Piguet, includes eight models priced from 335, with some resales online reaching 16,000. In Liverpool, shoppers camped for two days, and police received reports of threats before the crowd dispersed. Swatch urged fans not to rush stores in large numbers to ensure customer and staff safety.
Read at www.standard.co.uk
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