A LOCAL business owner says she is ‘overwhelmed” with support after her newly renovated store was targeted by burglars this week.
The new Barrons SPAR in Blackwater, Parteen was broken into less than 24 hours after their grand reopening on Tuesday, March 24.
In a video on social media, shop owner Alannah Barron, explained what happened: “Unfortunately we were broken into last night after all the hard work that we put in over the last few months, all the mod cons and everything that went into this store.”
“We put our hearts and soul into this project and unfortunately this is what happened last night, broken into. Look, they absolutely wrecked the shop. They smashed the window, big rocks, cigarettes everywhere.
“The clean up starts now, unfortunately, the inside is just wrecked. It’s just so disheartening after all the hard work my family and I have put into this store and to walk in now and see everything undone. All our shelving is wrecked, tables, stock everywhere, behind the till, our new fancy till system”, Alannah shared on the Barrons SPAR Instagram page.
Speaking to the Limerick Post, Alannah said staff are extremely grateful to their customers, suppliers and members of the local community.
“We have been open since yesterday afternoon…we got on to our local window supplier…customers came in yesterday and everybody just rallied around and helped us get back on our feet by lunchtime yesterday.”
“It’s been very disheartening”, Alannah added, “we have been renovating the store since May of last year…a lot of work went into this project and there was a lot of behind the scenes work.”
Alannah also credited the systems already in place throughout the shop which she believes limited the amount of damage caused.
“We have a very good cash management system in place…there was no money taken which was great. Without this, there would have been an awful lot more damage done.”
Gardaà are continuing to investigate the incident after receiving a report of “burglary that occurred at a commercial premises in the Blackwater area, Co. Clare on Wednesday, March 25 at approximately 5:50 am.”Â
A spokesperson confirmed: “A number of items have been reported as stolen. A technical examination of the scene has been conducted. Investigations are ongoing.”