Swatch forced to shut stores across Britain over ‘safety concerns’ after ‘mob-like’ groups rush shops

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GB NEWS

Peter Stevens

By Peter Stevens


Published: 18/05/2026

- 05:43

The Swiss watchmaker shut stores in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Cardiff after 'hostile' crowds descended on multiple locations

Swatch has been forced to shut stores across Britain over "safety concerns" after "mob-like" groups rushed shops.

Crowds had camped outside stores across Europe for days in order to purchase a watch from the "Royal Pop" collection, a collaboration with Swiss luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet.


Shouting and arguments broke out at a host of shops in different locations, with police in France using tear gas to control an unruly crowd outside a Paris store.

In response to the chaos, Swatch said it closed all stores in London on Saturday, in addition to stores in Birmingham, Glasgow, Cardiff, Liverpool, and Manchester, remaining shut on Sunday.

Shoppers have said the "atmosphere became tense" in queues, later becoming "hostile" after announcements that the crowd would not be able to receive one of the watches.

A watch from the line of eight models starts at £335, and is understood to have been listed on resale websites for prices as high as £16,000.

Swatch has limited the purchase of the line to one watch per person, per store.

It is understood many of those queuing are resellers, but some eBay listings are "pre-orders", sharing their position in overnight lines.

Wales

Crowds in Covent Garden were managed by security to allow shoppers in one by one

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Crowds at Battersea Power Station stampeded the shopping centre as it opened at 7am, in scenes described as "mob-like".

Police officers with dogs attempted to control a huge crowd outside the store, videos showed.

And in Cardiff, South Wales police said a 25-year-old man had been arrested and given orders not to enter St David's shopping centre, as around 300 people attempted to enter the store.

Merseyside Police said a group of men outside Liverpool's Paradise Street store were acting in an aggressive manner and making threats outside the store.

Cannes SwatchHuge crowds in Cannes queue outside for a Royal Pop Swatch | REUTERS

The crowd was dispersed after officers attended the scene.

Swatch has eased customers by saying the Royal Pop line - only available to buy in-store - will be available for several months.

A note on the Swiss companies' website reads: "To ensure the safety of both our customers and our staff in Swatch stores, we kindly ask you not to rush to our stores in large numbers to acquire this product."

"In some countries, queues of more than 50 people cannot be accepted, and sales may need to be paused," Swatch added.

Swatch store Wales

The store in Cardiff was closed after the Royal Pop line sold out, and a large police presence surrounded the store

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Zachary Martin-Zakheim was in the queue in Battersea, joining the line at 6am.

He told MyLondon News: "After around 30 minutes, a security guard informed everyone in our section, which consisted of a couple of hundred people, that none of us would be getting a watch, as there were only around 100 available for sale.

"This announcement caused significant frustration among the crowd."

He added that there was "shouting and arguments", and "pushing, barging, and heckling" within the crowd after the news.

One buyer, who gave his name was Mac, told The Times he had gotten his hands on a Royal Pop watch after five days of queueing.

He said: "It was pretty hectic … it’s nasty, but I was able to get in. Retail for them is about $400, I sold one just now for $4,000."