A handful of youths carrying a hammer and an axe robbed the Whangārei Liquor Centre on Sunday night.
"A group of offenders carrying weapons entered the premises and have smashed the front window on entry," a police spokesperson said.
"They have taken a number of items and fled in a vehicle, which was later found abandoned a short distance away."
A staff member, who did not wish to be named, said three or four offenders smashed their way into the Maunu Rd shop and went straight behind the counter.
"They smashed the door, the glass, they came inside and grabbed the smokes and the till."