Police arrested two people who were among a crowd trying to fight their way into MediaMarkt in Rotterdam on Saturday night at a special event organised by the electronics shop.

The shop had announced an hour-long discount on its products starting at midnight on Saturday to celebrate its 25th anniversary at the Binnenwegplein in the centre of the city.

Hundreds of people gathered at the shop and tried to get in before midnight, crashing through a glass door but not gaining entry thanks to steel shutters.

Police said fighting broke out and some people set off fireworks. A 37-year-old homeless man was arrested for threatening a police officer and a 21-year-old man who ignored police instructions was also taken into custody, the AD reported.

Police initially said the event had not been discussed with them but later admitted it had and that MediaMarkt had a safety plan in place. The shop is now evaluating the incident. A MediaMarkt spokesman told the paper “A small number of troublemakers had spoiled the event.”

Police commented that the shop is near an area with bars and that many of those present would have been drunk. That is most likely contributed to the rioting, they said.

New mayor Carola Schouten said the incident was “unacceptable”. “The people who had been queuing for ages were the victims,”  she said.

Police will be studying footage of the incident and have not ruled out further arrests.