Massive crowds led to a police presence and closed a store at a popular suburban Chicago mall over the weekend as a new release sparked mayhem at storefronts around the world.
Videos showed the scene as a large group appeared at Oakbrook Center Mall’s Swatch store for a new collab between Audemars Piguet & Swatch.
The drop began Saturday, leading to chaos at locations across the U.S., in London, in Italy and other locations, in some cases forcing stores to close their doors.
At Oakbrook Mall, videos showed police trying to disperse crowds and escorting staff from the store.
“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,” Swatch wrote on social media over the weekend. “The Royal Pop Collection will remain available for several months. In some countries/regions, queues of more than 50 people cannot be accepted, and sales may need to be paused.”
Swatch U.S. said the collection’s launch “saw extraordinarily high demand” that left some stores, including Oakbrook, closed “in accordance with our security staff and local authorities to ensure a safe environment for everyone.”
“We remind you that the Royal Pop Collection is not a limited edition,” the group wrote.
Oak Brook police did not immediately respond to NBC Chicago’s request for comment.
