A handful of youths carrying a hammer and an axe robbed the Whangārei Liquor Centre on Sunday night.

“A group of offenders carrying weapons entered the premises and have smashed the front window on entry,” a police spokesperson said.

“They have taken a number of items and fled in a vehicle, which was later found abandoned a short distance away.”

A staff member, who did not wish to be named, said three or four offenders smashed their way into the Maunu Rd shop and went straight behind the counter.

“They smashed the door, the glass, they came inside and grabbed the smokes and the till.”

One of the group was carrying a hammer and another had an axe, he added.

He believed the youths were driving a stolen car.

Another staff member who was present at the time ran into a chiller at the back of the store when the robbers broke in.

The store has been robbed on multiple occasions. In 2016, it was targeted by two men with firearms and one with a knife.

After that incident, staff told the Advocate the shop would be locked at night when customers were not inside.

Enquiries into the robbery are ongoing, police said. They asked anyone with information to contact police on 105 or online, referencing file number 220814/1094.

Information could also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.