Staff at McColls newsagents on The Forum, North Hykeham were threatened by an armed robber who escaped with an amount of cash.
The offender walked into the store at around 5.35am yesterday (February 8), and threatened two staff members with a knife. The man left the store via the rear entrance with an amount of cash, and made off towards the Lincoln area on Newark Road.
“While badly shaken, thankfully, the staff members were not injured,” Lincolnshire Police said, as they issued an appeal for witnesses.
The man is described as white, wearing a black Hoodrich top and bottoms, around 5’ 9” and in his early 20s.
“We are also appealing for anyone who lives in the area to check any CCTV or doorbell footage they may have. We’d like to hear from anyone who may have been driving or cycling in the area prior to the incident or afterwards to check any dashcam or video footage they may have captured of the suspect,” the police added.
Detectives can be contacted by emailing to: force.control@lincs.police.uk with the reference incident 40 of 8 Feb 22 in the subject box; or calling 101, quoting incident 40 of 8 Feb 22.
Information can also be given anonymously to the independent Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.
Co-op today (2) revealed its commitment to continued convenience growth with a planned 75 new stores opening this year across the UK.
The new stores will be both Co-op estate stores and Co-op franchise stores, a sector the convenience retailer has actively pursued recently with strong growth.
Co-op’s plans for new stores in 2025 include up to 25 new Co-op operated stores – with the first new Co-op stores to open in early 2025 in Salford Quays – The Anchorage and East Benton – Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Furthermore, up to 50 stores are expected to open and operate as a franchise this year, enabling Co-op to bring its products and the benefits of membership to more communities, and operate in locations where it may not otherwise be able to access.
The move builds on franchise growth in 2024 which included innovative new locations where Co-op shares its convenience expertise with quality partners.
Last year saw Co-op franchise stores open on more university campus; a first for Co-op with a store opening in a hospital, on petrol forecourts (in partnership with EG On The Move), plus a Co-op store at HMS Collingwood (in partnership with ESS) to enhance the lived experience of service personnel.
Up to an additional 80 existing stores will also undertake major refurbishments in 2025, maximising the potential of Co-op’s existing portfolio of properties to serve and support communities, and creating stores which are fit for the future while ensuring Co-op maintains a store in every postal area.
Matt Hood, Co-op’s Managing Director said: “We want everyone to have easy and convenient access to a Co-op store, wherever they live, and this year we are completely focused on achieving that through an ambitious and exciting new stores strategy.
"Not only are we a membership organisation owned by our six million members, we are experts in convenience shopping, where we combine great quality products, value and deals and ethical retailing with quick online delivery services, community participation and additional customer services.
"Our stores play an active role in local life, and are often a community hub, providing the products and services our members and customers want and need.”
Co-op is working to grow its share of the quick commerce market to over 30 per cent by focusing on both its own Co-op platform and with its partners including Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo. Co-op has been named top grocer across all major delivery platforms, and stores in more communities will further support ecommerce reach and growth.
Plus, as part of Co-op’s commitments to carbon reduction, it has announced ambitions to install up to 76,000 solar panels on up to 700 of its sites across its food, funeral care and logistic portfolio over the next three years.
Co-op is on track to achieve its ambition of growing to eight million members by 2030, with new stores bringing the benefits of membership, including member savings, to more local communities.
A leading retailer of a family-run convenience store, operating since 1937, has been left with significant financial losses, deep trauma and emotional strain following an ugly incident of ram-raid that left the store completely damaged.
Early last Friday (27), five individuals smashed through the front doors of Spar Minster Lovell near Witney in Oxfordshire and used a vehicle to pull an ATM machine through the premises, causing extensive damage to the shop’s infrastructure and stock.
Retailer Ian Lewis, the store owner, recounted the incident to Asian Trader, describing how five individuals used a sledgehammer to break through the front doors before strapping the store's ATM to a vehicle and dragging it through the store.
Lewis told Asian Trader, “Last Friday morning, five males sledgehammered through the front doors and quickly strapped the cash machine to the back of one vehicle and then proceeded to pull it.
“The cash machine is at the back of the store. It was pulled and dragged right through the chiller and ambient area, causing extensive damage to the store, chiller doors and, stock.
“The culprits then took away with the cash machine. They couldn't get into the first vehicle, so they had to use a second one.”
At the time of this conversation, Lewis was waiting for the insurance company to visit. However, he suspects the damage to reach tens of thousands of pounds.
He said, “The automatic doors of the store were replaced recently on Dec 17, after the last break in that happened in September. We haven't even paid that bill fully and the doors are now completely damaged. This is over and above all the damage that the store sustained.
"Since the machine was at the back, almost the whole store has been shattered since it was pulled and dragged through, breaking everything that came on the way."
The impact goes beyond the financial burden, with Lewis expressing concern for his elderly parents, who live above the store and have been left deeply shaken.
He said, “But the worst thing here is that my elderly parents live above the store. They are still shaken and heartbroken. Its been a very traumatic week for us as a family. I can't believe it's nearly a week already; its pretty devastating.”
Lewis is also concerned over the mental health of early morning staff.
"It's been a very difficult time for everyone here. We've obviously got early morning staff that come in who are worried now. I am more worried about the safety of my parents who live a floor above.
“I am not able to sleep properly, nor my sister. The whole incident is taking a huge toll on us mentally and physically.”
The police is investigating the case and according to Lewis, has been quite proactive in this matter.
“The police has recovered both vehicles. They are confident that they have got a lead and something to work with. The police have been pretty proactive so hopefully we'll get something, and hopefully the offenders will be caught and brought to justice.”
The fourth generation family business, opened in 1937, has been targeted second time in four months. Earlier in September last year, a group of four masked men were caught on store's camera trying to break in the store before they cut the CCTV connection.
Lewis believes that the cash machine was the target at that time too though they couldn’t get through so they gave up and left.
“The police could not find anything so they actually closed that case. It is still not sure whether the two cases are linked.
“May be because they just could not get through last time so they came back again better prepared or may be it is a completely separate incident and not the same men," he said.
The rise in ram-raids targeting convenience stores with ATM machines is a growing concern across the sector. For Lewis, the repeated attacks have led to serious doubts about keeping an ATM in the store.
Lewis wrote on a social media platform, "Seeing the damage to the shop—our family business—and knowing my parents were upstairs during the break-in is something I’ll never forget. The voicemail I received from my dad yesterday morning, filled with fear and distress, will stay with me forever.
"This is the second time we’ve been targeted in just three months, and the damage this time is far more extensive. While we’re still processing the impact, one thing we are incredibly grateful for is the overwhelming support we’ve received.
"To our local community, your messages, visits, and offers of help have meant the world to us. Knowing how much this shop means to all of you gives us the strength to keep going during what feels like an impossible time.
"A huge thank you must also go to AF Blakemore & Son Ltd for their incredible support. Their guidance and assistance have been invaluable, reminding us that we’re not alone in this. While the road ahead feels uncertain, we’re determined to rebuild and continue serving our community."
String of crime hit convenience stores over the festive period as multiple cases of theft and looting were reported from across the country.
In one of the cases, Co-op store in Pontcanna, Cardiff was targeted by a shoplifter who was also caught on video brazenly ransacking shelves and stuffing cheese packets in a rucksack. The incident is reported to have happened around 3.40pm on Sunday (29).
The customer who took the video said, "There were only two staff in the shop. One did ask the man if he was going to pay but he just walked out.
"They said they weren’t given security staff anymore, and they weren’t going to risk their lives for some packets of Coop cheese, which I thought was sensible.
"It’s company policy not to have their staff apprehend people, which is a safer approach I think. I was totally shocked though. Apparently a customer got into a fight with a shoplifter recently."
Elsewhere in Glasgow, a convenience store was targeted by two armed men who also threatened the shop's worker with an imitation of firearm.
Two men entered USave store in Lynedoch Street in Glasgow on Dec 23 and started threatening the staff. The two allegedly presented an imitation firearm at a staff member before making violent threats and demanding money from him.
The ended up stealing a pack of cigarettes and £60 in cash before leaving.
The two men were later arrested and have appeared in court where they were charged with threatening a worker at a Greenock convenience store with an imitation firearm.
Both men appeared on petition at a private hearing at Greenock Sheriff Court, where they made no plea and were committed for further examination.
They were remanded in custody, with both due to return to court within the next eight days.
In another incident in Oxfordshire, SPAR in Minster Lovell was targeted in the early hours of Friday (27) when it was ram-raided and the cash machine was stolen.
It is the second time the shop has been targeted in three months. In September, a group of masked men broke into the store using a crowbar and electrical saw.
A slice of retail history has come to a close this Hogmanay as Monfries and Sons, a family-run convenience store in Brightons, shut its doors after more than a century of business.
The shop, located on Pretoria Street, has been serving generations of customers since its inception in 1919, but owner Sandy Monfries has decided it’s time to move on. The closure, reported by The Falkirk Herald, marks the end of an era for a store famously described as a “retail time warp.”
In an interview with The Falkirk Herald, Sandy Monfries confirmed the shop’s final day will be December 31, 2024. “All the details of the sale to the new owners have been finalised,” he said. “So we thought Hogmanay would be a good day to close on. I’ve got mixed feelings about it – I’ll be sad to go, but those long hours are something you can’t keep doing when you get a bit older.”
Monfries and Sons has been in its current location since 1945, and its aesthetic has remained largely unchanged, offering customers a nostalgic trip back in time. Earlier this year, Sandy described the store to The Falkirk Herald as resembling something out of Peaky Blinders, the popular drama set in the 1920s. “Well, we’ve never had an offer for something like that, but that might be an option. It does look like something you might see in Peaky Blinders,” he said.
The shop’s unique charm has been a deliberate choice by Sandy, who started working there in 1977, at the age of 17. Reflecting on his decision to resist modernisation, he said, “We did have people come in over the years. They said they could refurbish the shop and they showed me pictures and I thought, well then it just looks like every other shop. I didn’t want that so it just stayed the same. People remember it because it is so different from other shops.”
Over the decades, Monfries and Sons has become a cornerstone of the community, with customers often reminiscing about their lifelong connection to the store. Sandy shared, “People come in here now and say, ‘I used to come in here when my mum sent me up here for messages’ and now they have a family of their own. It’s hard to pick out just one memory from all the years – there are so many different things that have happened. The customers have been great. People have been with us for years and years.”
The business was first established by Sandy’s grandfather, John W Monfries, in Main Street, Brightons, back in 1919. It has since been passed down through generations of the Monfries family, each adding their chapter to its storied history. Sandy, who started working at the shop as a teenager, summed up his experience: “It’s been hard work, but I’ve always enjoyed it.”
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Officers wish to speak with the individuals in the image in relation with the burglary in Uttoxeter
Staffordshire Police are appealing for information following a burglary at an off-licence in Uttoxeter.
The break-in occurred overnight at Bossman Booze, a store located on Market Place. Staff discovered the theft when opening the shop on Thursday morning and contacted the authorities at approximately 9:30 a.m.
The burglars made off with the store’s entire stock of cigarettes, most of its vape products, and a significant quantity of alcohol.
Police have released three images showing two individuals they wish to identify in connection with the crime. Authorities believe a third suspect was also involved in the incident.
Anyone with information about the burglary or who may recognise the individuals in the images is urged to contact Staffordshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 102 of 26 December.
To report anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.