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Kelly Hodel/Stuff
Cigarettes disappeared from the shelves of Te Kōwhai Food Centre in a bid to prevent robberies. Co-owner Tao Liu says he feels safer in his shop.
Five years ago the Te Kōwhai Food Centre decided to stop selling cigarettes. No pouches, no tailor-mades, no vapes. Nothing.
As dairies across the ram-raid hit Waikato region are closing because of crime-related costs and safety fears, the shop is yet to be ram-raided.
Tao Liu owns the Te Kōwhai business, a ten-minute drive from Hamilton, with his wife and says he lost some money but diversified offerings and cheap prices put the operation in the black.
“I mainly make money on food and drink now,” he says.
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Nicotine products have become a favourite target of youth criminals who have turned stolen cars into assault vehicles to pillage the product off dairies’ shelves. Others have turned to machetes.
Alongside the dairy staples of fizzy drinks, milk and ice creams, a cabinet offers the shop’s only steal – a $2 sausage roll.
A busy Lotto counter brings the punters in too, he says. They often stop for other staples.
Kelly Hodel/Stuff
Liu has branched out into other atypical dairy offerings to retain customers.
Liu doesn’t necessarily expect many other dairy owners to follow suit.
“At the moment too many dairies feel unsafe,” he says gesturing to a panic alarm around his neck.
“We did it for safety. That we increased, but we have lost a bit of money.”
While Liu has been robbed once, three years ago, of his till and some confectionery, he hasn’t experienced a ramraid, or faced the incessant harassment some dairy owners have.
When Liu first stopped selling cigarettes in 2018 he told of a weekly loss of $700 and a 20% loss in turnover compared with the year before. This figure has reduced he says, but some losses persist.
“We did it against robbery. But, for business it is not too good.”
RICKY WILSON/STUFF
National leader Chris Luxon talks about the party’s plans to tackle crime and ramraids.
He owns the building from which he operates and that manages to alleviate overheads. Other operators in a less fortunate position who are victims of repeat retail crime might turn to firearms, he thinks.
Liu says: “I think the Government should allow owners their right to self-defence. Like in America.”
As vapes have usurped cigarettes in the nicotine market, Liu explains that while he did consider selling the alternative, the risk of being robbed for yet another nicotine product wasn’t worth the potential sales.
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