Tauranga ram-raid: Burglars hit Liquorland Otumoetai and take more than $10,000 in stock

Ram-raiders struck Tauranga's Liquorland Otumoetai store in Bureta Rd early on Thursday. Photo / Liquorland NZ

A ram raid at the Liquorland Otumoetai store in Tauranga has left the owner and staff reeling after more than $10,000 worth of alcohol was stolen and the store extensively damaged.

The burglary at the Bureta Rd store happened shortly before 4 am on Thursday.

Police have forensically examined the scene and the vehicle used was found. No arrests have been made.

This burglary comes less than two weeks after the Michael Hill Jewellers store in Bayfair Shopping Centre was also ram-raided on January 27. In Rotorua, ram-raiders hit the Otonga Rd Bottle-O store during the week, the fourth time in just over a year criminals had targeted it.

In regards to the Otumoetai raid, Liquorland New Zealand chief executive Brendon Lawry told the Bay of Plenty Times the offenders were believed to have used a stolen car to ram their way through the front entrance. They then crawled under the damaged security grill and stole alcohol.

Lawry said it was a standard ram-raid type burglary where those involved grabbed as much stock as they could in a short space of time, loaded up the vehicle and fled.

The event was “over in a couple of minutes” and there will be a massive clean-up bill after smashed bottles were left everywhere.

Liquorland Otumoetai store in Bureta Rd was ram-raided on Thursday with thieves stealing more than $10,000 of stock and extensively damaging the store. Photo / Liqourland NZ

He said just over $10,000 worth of alcohol was taken and the raiders caused thousands of dollars of damage, the exact cost of which was yet to be worked out.

”The damage is quite extensive, and the cost of repairs is still being worked through, but I estimate it would be in the tens of thousands of dollars.”

Lawry said he was unsure how many offenders were involved, possibly three, but those seen in the CCTV footage disguised their faces.

“Police have been fantastic and extremely proactive and I understand they are following strong lines of inquiry.”

He said the impacts of this crime, went “well beyond” stock loss and damage to the store and the “massive clean-up”.

“We are incredibly grateful that no one was physically hurt but the toll of this type of crime on the local franchise owner and her staff who work in store is significant.’'

It has affected thempersonally and professionally “very hard”, especially in terms of their feelings of safety, Lawry said. “The safety and well-being of our teams in store and customers is our highest priority.”

Lawry said the impacts of these events were “wide-reaching” as they also affected the wider Liquorland family of stores and the retail industry across the country.

Extra security requirements, insurance costs, and repair costs from these crimes were huge added costs for retailers who “fought hard for every dollar they earned”.

He said the ever-increasing retail crime statistics for these types of offences were “deeply concerning and weighed heavily on everyone’s minds”.

Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.