Shopping centre mobbed by people hunting for new Swatch watches
Crowds at Meadowhall on the day Swatch launched a new range of watches(Image: Sheffield Online)
Police were called in after huge numbers of people turned up to Meadowhall in Sheffield for the launch of a new range of Swatch watches.
Massive queues formed this morning at Meadowhall for the launch, with photos posted online showing several police officers at the scene, along with security staff. Dozens of people were pictured queueing inside the shopping centre.
Today is the official launch of a range of pocket watches called Royal Pop, which have been created in a collaboration between Swatch and Audemars Piguet.
In a post on Facebook today, Swatch said stores in Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, and Glasgow will be closed today “in light of safety considerations” for staff and customers.
The watches are only available in-store, with a limit of one watch per person per day, according to reports. The £335 watch is already being pre-sold on websites such as eBay for quadruple the price.
According to online reports, the watches are popular with resellers and collectors. Esquire magazine published a piece earlier this week about the “hype” around the new Swatch collection.
The watches are designed to be worn around the neck, clipped to bags or carried, the magazine reported. The online magazine said that “the hype is already off the charts.” Prices for the watches start at £335 and rise to £350.
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