Break in through building site leaves shop owners concerned about their future

Thieves have drilled their way through the 15 inch brick wall into recently opened Les Parfums shop in Putney Exchange Shopping Centre.



On the night of the 9th May between 11pm and 1am six men walked through the gates of Putney Exchange and drilled their way into the rear of the shop, where they then stripped most of the shelves bare of the cosmetics and perfumes. Similar items have recently appeared on ebay at much reduced prices.

A week after the break in, owner Armano Krosi is still visibly distressed by the event, although he and his colleague Miriam Danova have been overwhelmed by the support voiced by their customers. However he did question the level of security at the centre and has raised this concern with the management. He advised PutneySW15.com that the level has been improved since the break-in but that is little consolation to him.

Mr Krosi said he was perplexed that the vibrations of the drilling made the false door open causing the internal sensors to set off the alarm - he believes that the drilling must have been going for a minimum of 30 minutes to make a big enough entry for the men to enter the shop, yet security did not check why the alarm was triggered. Once the thieves were in the shop they turned off the CCTV and ripped out the sensors that activated the alarm.

In April he had an incident of thieving within the shop and the police at that time voiced concerns about the attitude and role of the security guards. He said that the policeman concerned at the time encouraged him to speak to the The Exchange with regards to improving the security within the unit and reorganising patrols to cover the shop more often.

Spot the	difference

A spokesmen for the Centre told PutneySW15.com:
"This was an unprecedented and audacious attack on a retailer and we are doing everything within our power to support our tenant."

One Putney customer, M Anderson said:
"Their story is so unbelievable and sad - they put all of their money into their life dream.  They lost over £50K of stock and had to clean up and try to re-stock their store in less than 24 hours to look like they were in business again."

A spokesman for Putney police said:
"Police are aware of this matter and are investigating. Police were called to a commercial burglary in Putney in the early hours of Friday 10th May 2013. Thamesfield Safer Neighbourhoods officers have today (16th May) delivered a 'Street Briefing' in the High Street to reassure businesses and members of the public."

Looking to the future, Armando said:
"This has had a dramatic effect on our business and our lives.We are left with empty shelves; trading is non-existant because customers are asking for products we had before the burglary occurred. We have lost 80% of the products".

May 17, 2013