Le Creuset sale sparks four-hour queue with police called as hordes of shoppers descend on Hampshire warehouse

Popular French-Belgian culinary tool company Le Creuset was the unlikely cause of carnage over the weekend – with a retail sale sparking four-hour queues and traffic mayhem.

Le Creuset’s products have been covetable thanks to rising homeware trends, with their enamelled cast-iron cookware gracing the kitchens of TikTok and lifestyle influencers.

When a sale was announced at the company’s warehouse in Andover, Hampshire the demand was higher than predicted.

Hundreds of people that descended upon the Hampshire retail estate, with the demand for slashed prices so high that traffic jams clogged the roads.

Videos showed hundreds of cars on the side of the roads as the lines of people stretched for miles.

The police were even present in a bid to maintain order.

Le Creuset had advertised the Andover weekend in advance as its “largest in-person event” unticketed and “first-come-first-served”.

It added: “Attendees can shop a selection of premium cookware, including limited-edition colours, rare shapes and other unique styles at special prices.”

In a breakdown of the deals, one TikTok user shared a video claiming they had saved £1,614.50, spending £1,127.

The price of a cast iron round casserole pot, one of Le Creuset’s popular items, was sold for £159 instead of £269.

The sale was in demand, with people who went claiming the queues dragged on for as long as four hours.

Hampshire Police stated: “We attended London Road and the A3093 in Andover Saturday morning following reports of heavy congestion in the area.

“We began receiving reports at 9.45am and we attended to assist with traffic control. Traffic had eased by around 11.15am and we left the area shortly afterwards.”

Le Creuset has been selling a variety of coloured pots and pans since 1925, influencing the appeal for sustainable and vintage-looking products.

Despite raising popularity among Gen Z and on TikTok, the brand last year reported a 20 per cent dip in sales.

Nick Ryder, managing director of the company based in Fresnoy-le-Grand in northern France, said in its latest annual report: “In the post-Covid world, with changing spending patterns and a backdrop of increasing prices and interest rates, the market we operate in has seen a decrease in spend.”