A stampede broke out at a London shopping centre on Saturday morning as members of the public forced their way past security in a craze for a new limited edition watch.
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.
The force added: "Officers attended and the crowd dispersed shortly afterwards."
Elsewhere, a man was arrested in Cardiff after a similar allegation.
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 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."
Swatch closed in Battersea London as queues force past security #swatchap #swatch #royalpop pic.twitter.com/yZJeU1MXCh
— Elliott William (@ElliottWilldam) May 16, 2026
Swatch states it will not open its London stores "in light of safety considerations for both our customers and our staff", while branches in Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield will also remain closed.
The news was met with some backlash on social media. One Instagram user posted: “Why didn't you consider implementing an online payment system on your website, similar to what other brands have done?”
Another added: “Don’t act like you didn’t know this was wasn’t going to happen. But now you’ve got the PR get back to selling them online.”
