Ram raiders have broken into a shop that was founded more than 200 years ago and stolen designer clothing worth in excess of £20,000.
Armstrongs in Worcester caught the raiders on the store’s security cameras. The footage shows a car being reversed into the wooden doors and burglars in balaclavas breaking in, during the early hours of Tuesday morning (15 December).
Ram raids were once a common method of breaking into retail and commercial premises, although they have reduced in number in recent years. However, when organising your business insurance, retailers should make sure they have shop insurance so they are protected against break-ins, which leave them counting the cost of the damage to the premises as well as the stolen stock.
The raiders left behind the car they used to ram the shop doors and escaped with the stolen goods in an Audi A4.
Armstrongs’ owner, Simon Hyslop, told the Worcester News: “It was horrible to see the CCTV footage and quite upsetting. We have all taken it personally, like it was our own home targeted, and the thugs showed no consideration to the damage they were causing.
“It is a tragedy that our bespoke oak doors were so badly damaged and have had to be replaced with temporary doors.”
But he said the shop staff were staying positive and were continuing to trade as normally as possible in the run-up to Christmas. He believes the burglars were a “professional” gang looking specifically for designer brands.
“We still have a plenty of stock available and, at this busiest time of year, we don’t want our customers to be put off,” added Mr Hyslop.
Armstrongs is well-known in Worcester and the surrounding areas and has been trading since the reign of George III.
Police are appealing for information about the burglary. A spokesman said a “significant” amount of stock had been stolen from the shop.
