Bury’s unluckiest store was targeted by a gun-toting masked man on Tuesday – only a week after the same shop was robbed at knifepoint.
Police are investigating whether the same man was responsible for two robberies at the Mace Convenience Store on Brandlesholme Road in Bury.
CCTV images show a masked burglar entering the shop at around 9.40pm on February 4 and demanding cash from the shop worker before emptying the till.
The store was then targeted again a week later on Tuesday February 11 by a thief who dragged the shopkeeper to the floor before clearing the till and fleeing.
Detective Sergeant Ian Partington said: “Both of these robberies were audacious acts committed by criminals intent on causing as much fear and intimidation as humanly possible.
“The second robbery was particularly nasty as the shopkeeper was physically assaulted and dragged to the floor whilst having a firearm pointed at him.
“If you put yourselves in the shoes of the staff at this store for one moment, you can only imagine how traumatic it must have been to be confronted by men brandishing dangerous weapons. For it to have happened twice in seven days only compounds how frightened the staff must have been.”
During the second robbery the offender waited until as the shopkeeper was closing up, before running up to the worker and assaulting him.
Police have since released images of the stores CCTV footage and are appealing to anyone who has information about either robbery.
The offender is described as being white, of a muscular build, about 6ft tall and wearing a grey hooded top with a distinctive pattern on both elbows and across the chest.
He was also wearing blue tracksuit bottoms with three stripes down the side, black trainers and a black balaclava.
“Clearly we are investigating whether one offenders is responsible for both robberies and at this stage we cannot rule out anything, it could be the work of one desperate man or a copycat,” added Sergeant Partington.
“What we can be certain of is that Greater Manchester Police, and indeed the community as a whole, must protect people who work in our local shops who should not have to suffer such violence in the workplace.
“But we know that a fall a crime is of little comfort to the staff at the Mace Convenience Store and that is why we do pursue every line of inquiry to find the culprits.”
GMP hope to reassure Bury residents as figures show the amount of crime in the area has fallen by 25% in the last year.
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
