Police were called to Manchester’s Trafford Centre after crowds surged for the limited-edition Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Pop watches
Scenes of chaos unfolded with “fights” breaking out at a shopping centre as masses of people attempted to secure a limited-edition watch. Police officers were called to Manchester’s Trafford Centre on Saturday morning after enthusiastic shoppers forced their way inside to obtain the latest collection from the Swatch store.
Reports suggest people had been queuing throughout the night for the £335 Royal Pop watches – a partnership between Swatch and luxury Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet.
However, when the shopping centre opened at 6am, enormous crowds overwhelmed the barriers and started “pushing and shoving” one another – with some allegedly “throwing chairs”, witnesses claimed.
Footage shows a substantial crowd of would-be shoppers involved in the fights – with several individuals appearing to be holding chairs.
According to the Swatch UK Instagram account, they were forced to shut more stores across the UK, including in Liverpool, owing to ‘safety considerations’ as significant crowds assembled at those sites as well.
The shopper who recorded the footage, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Talk to the Press: “It was complete chaos.
“People were throwing chairs and people were pushed over.
“I got down the lower level and another fight broke out.
“It got quite brutal.”
The shopper stated he arrived at 6am and managed to access the shopping centre via an entrance on the upper level.
The footage shows the crowds on the lower floor outside the Swatch shop, which was scheduled to open at 10am. They said: “There were hundreds of people outside the Trafford Centre.
“They had been queuing overnight.
“The orderly queuing system broke down in a matter of minutes.
“Swatch had their own security and so did the Trafford, but it wasn’t enough.
“Eventually the police arrived and kicked everyone out.
“A security guard told me the shop would be closed the rest of the day.”
A spokesperson for Great Manchester Police said: “We were called shortly before 6am following reports of a disturbance at the Trafford centre.
“Officers attended and alongside security staff dispersed a large number of people who were inside the centre.
“No arrests have been made.”
