THE owner of the new Spar at the Twin Spires Complex on the Falls Road has said that her staff have been left devastated after the shop was attacked on its first day of trading.
Two men entered the store last night after eight o'clock and threw paint around the products.
Paula Clarke said that she and her staff are still in shock as no one expected the vandalism, especially after the buzz around the opening day.
"The whole day up until that time, we had a very positive reaction from the customers," Paula said, as she and her staff started the clean-up this morning.
"This attack came out of nowhere as most people were saying this is what the area needed. People were really impressed with the shop and the amount of products we have."
ATTACK: Black paint was thrown around the shop by two men
Paula added that there has been no indication as to why they have been targeted.
"Two guys came in, they were hooded and wearing coverings around their faces. They didn't speak. Each had a tin of black paint which they threw around the shop and it was over in less than 30 seconds.
"The incident spread on social media quite quickly as we had customers in the store. All the comments that we have seen coming through have been positive and telling us that this is not an accurate representation of the community.
"The community is here to support us and we have been told not to let this put us off. Our staff here are now cleaning and we are hoping to reopen this afternoon.
"We don't want to dwell on this incident. Obviously we are disappointed that it has happened but we will be open again to serve the local community as we are employing quite a few local residents and we want to continue to create jobs in the area."
APPEAL: Police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward
Police are appealing for information on the incident.
At approximately 8.15pm, two masked males entered the premises and threw a tin of what is believed to be driveway sealant over the interior, specifically targeting high value items in the shop.
No one was injured during the incident, however it is believed that thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused.
Neighbourhood Policing Team Sergeant Dave McKinley said: “This is a disgraceful attack on a newly opened business in the area, and I would appeal to the community to provide information to police so that we can bring those responsible to justice.”
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or who may have any information in relation to it, is asked to contact police on 101 quoting reference 1576 of 03/03/22.
Alternatively, you can submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form.
You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online.
