A Nottinghamshire independent toy shop has been left counting the cost after a burglar broke in and stole around £600 worth of stock. Jurassic Toys, on Bridgegate in Retford, was burgled at around 6am on Saturday, March 18.
The owner said the incident has left him shocked and is 'in disbelief', Lincolnshire Live reports. The offender gained entry by smashing the glass door with a brick, before making off with a variety of toys - Jurassic World, Transformers, Godzilla and Hot Wheels sets - and a small sum of cash from the till. Daniel Williams, who has run the toy shop since last April, said he "had no words" about what had happened beyond 'shock' and 'disbelief'.
He said: "We lost a good chunk of Saturday's trading, which is always by far the busiest day of the week, so that's fun. And then there's all the hassle of trying to get everything sorted and back to normal."
Mr Williams, 36, was woken up early on Saturday by a fellow shopkeeper telling him that his door had been smashed. He said: "I didn't know how bad it was and I looked at the security camera.
"Initially, it didn't seem that bad because my computers and everything like that were still there. But there was just a mad rush to get to the shop.
"People were already on the street, sweeping up the glass and trying to get the door boarded up. I have no words, really - just shock and disbelief."
Mr Williams said back in February that he was beginning to have reservations about the store's future, in light of the widening cost of living crisis and dwindling footfall. Though he still plans to stick it through to Christmas, this break-in has been a blow to Jurassic Toys.
He said: "Business hasn't exactly been booming at the minute, so this is the last thing that was needed." On top of the lost stock, Mr Williams is now also looking at spending a "good few grand" on added security measures, including stronger glass on the doors.
He said there had been an emotional toll to the burglary as well as a financial one, adding: "I can't go through this again, because what's the point? You're constantly stressing and checking everything."
Inspector Hayley Crawford, the district commander for Bassetlaw, said the police were working hard to catch the culprit and that burglary is taken "very seriously". She said: "We want Retford town centre to continue to be a vibrant place for people to visit and will not tolerate incidents like this.
"This is a busy location and we want to speak to anyone who has spotted anything unusual, or any individuals behaving suspiciously, overnight on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 March. Burglary can have a serious impact on businesses, both financially, and emotionally for the hard-working staff who are impacted by the offence.
"No one should have to come to work to discover their place of work has been broken into. The force treats burglary very seriously, with teams dedicated to preventing and investigating incidents as well as putting suspects before the courts."
