A new shop that opened just eight weeks ago is facing an uncertain future after burglars smashed their way into the building and escaped with electrical equipment worth £20,000.
Gareth Carr, who owns High Fiver Bargains in Sunderland, fears he may now go bankrupt, as he did not have insurance to cover his stock.
Business insurance and retail insurance should never be overlooked if you are opening a new shop. Although raids of this type are rare, they do happen, and the correct insurance policies mean traders can continue to run their business in the event of a crime.
Mr Carr, 29, told the Evening Chronicle: “I have put everything that I had into getting the shop open in time for Christmas. It is touch and go whether I am even going to have a business at all, I am not going to be able to get that stock back.
“I am a single dad to my son, Callum who is six so I have tried my hardest to do a job that I could fit in around him. Everything was going so well and now I am potentially going bankrupt.”
The burglars broke in by smashing through the wall above a grating into the office at the shop. Once inside, they took stock including speakers, radios and hi-fis. Even Mr Carr’s vacuum cleaner from his home was cleared out in the raid.
A Community Link furniture shop next to High Fiver Bargains was also burgled at the same time.
