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Swatch has been forced to close numerous stores across the world as mass crowds queuing for a new watch sparked safety concerns. Eager shoppers queued for hours to purchase the Royal Pop timepieces – made in collaboration with the luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet – on Saturday (16 May). Several stores across the UK were shut down “in light of safety considerations for both our customers and our staff,” the Swiss company said. Footage shows huge crowds gathering outside the Meadowhall shopping centre store in Sheffield. Meanwhile, in Paris, French police used tear gas to control a 300-strong crowd, whilst shoppers described the scenes in New York as a “mosh pit”. A notice on Swatch’s website read: “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.”