Pepper spray and scuffles as bargain hunters crowd Lidl launch in France

ORGEVAL, France (Reuters) - French police pushed back several hundred people jostling to get their hands on cut-price PlayStation 4s at the launch of a new Lidl supermarket outside Paris on Wednesday.

The store in Orgeval, west of Paris, had offered the PS4s at 95 euros instead of a usual retail price of 299 euros. But it pulled the offer and delayed the store’s opening because of the size of the crowd.

Video footage showed a can of pepper spray being released over heads as the rowdy crowd surged towards the glass doors at the store’s entrance. Moments later, people turned around, rubbing their eyes and spluttering.

“The sale of PlayStation 4s is cancelled and the devices have been sent back to the suppliers. Go back home,” a voice is heard saying over a loudspeaker.

BFM TV cited Lidl as saying the launch was postponed for safety reasons.

Editing by Richard Lough and Janet Lawrence

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