Thieves target luxury handbag store for second time in two months

A vintage luxury goods store in Auckland’s CBD was burgled overnight in a smash-and-grab robbery – just weeks after a brazen daytime heist in which thieves ransacked the same store and threatened staff with hammers.

The glass shopfront at Lavish Luxury on High St was smashed around 10pm last night and a group of people ran in, grabbing luxury goods before fleeing.

Police later found their vehicle abandoned.

Photos from the scene show a sheet of smashed glass on the footpath and Louis Vuitton goods scattered across the shop floor.

A worker at a neighbouring store said he was cleaning tables when a white vehicle came to a stop outside the store and he heard a loud bang.

Four or five people got out, broke the glass, and jumped over the line, he said.

“I closed the door to ensure the safety of my colleagues, who were quite scared.”

He did not see what the group took.

“I feel sorry for the owner, who is just trying to earn money, and this happened – even with insurance he’ll likely lose money still.

“The crime in Auckland has worsened since I arrived 10 years ago. [There have been] many incidents daily – it’s been bad over the past few months.”

Police were called around 10.05pm, a spokesperson said.

“A number of items were taken and the offenders have fled the scene in a stolen vehicle prior to police arriving.

“The vehicle was located abandoned nearby and has since been towed and will undergo a forensic examination. Police are working to identify and locate those involved and hold them to account.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 105, referencing job number P055916250, or call Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Last night’s burglarly comes barely six weeks after the shop was plundered by a trio of masked thieves who threatened shop staff and an elderly pedestrian with hammers.

A video taken from the outside of the shop showed one of the group running toward the elderly shopper, who could be seen ducking down and putting her shopping bag on top of her head to shield herself from the masked attacker.

The shop’s floor was left covered in a carpet of glass after the group smashed cabinets and glass displays to steal around 30 Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Dior handbags.

Workers in the shop and innocent bystanders were reportedly traumatised by the incident.

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