Swatch shuts stores after crowds queue for new watch - BBC

ShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleRumeana JahangirBBCHundreds of people queued outside the Liverpool branch on Saturday morningSwatch has closed its stores in cities across the UK after hundreds of people queued outside branches eager to buy a new limited edition watch. The Swiss firm said it would not open its branches in London "in light of safety considerations for both our customers and our staff". Stores in Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield will also remain closed with a man arrested in Cardiff. The firm had been due to launch its new Royal Pop pocket watch collaboration with luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet, with eight models priced from £335. However the watch has been put on resale online for up to £16,000. Swatch later urged people "not to rush to our stores in large numbers to acquire this product" as it needed to "ensure the safety of both our customers and our staff". On its website the statement continued: "The Royal Pop Collection will remain available for several months. "In some countries and regions, queues of more than 50 people cannot be accepted, and sales may need to be paused." Better known for its colourful watches from the 1980s, AP Swatch has described the items as "a disruptive collaboration between two icons of Swiss watchmaking". In the Liverpool One retail area, some shoppers had been camping for two days outside the Paradise Street store. Merseyside Police said it had received a report "a group of males were acting in an aggressive manner and making threats" outside the shop at about 07:00 BST on Saturday. "Officers attended and the crowd dispersed shortly afterwards," a force spokesperson said. Meanwhile, South Wales Police said it was called at 06:20 on Saturday with a report of approximately 300 people trying to enter the St. Davids shopping centre. The force said: "A 25-year-old man from Pengam was arrested and issued with a Section 35 dispersal notice with the conditions that they are not to enter Cardiff city centre again during Saturday 16 May." Queues had also been building up outside Swatch's branches internationally, including in New York where watch enthusiasts had been camping for a week, with reports that some had become unwell during the wait. The firm also cancelled its launch event at Dubai Mall in the United Arab Emirates following a large turnout. Swatch has said the new watches were inspired by the Pop Art movement of the 1950s and 60s and combined "joyful boldness and positive provocation" with watchmaking. The collection merges the avant-garde design of Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak and the modular ingenuity of Swatch's POP line from the 1980s. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.