Brickworks Marketplace shop owners say they are plagued by break-ins, shoplifting

Shop owners at the Brickworks Marketplace are a tight-knit family – but they’re sick and tired of being broken into and dealing with shoplifters.

Brickworks Marketplace traders are being plagued by break-ins and shoplifters, with the tight-knit “family” demanding an increase in security.

Three teenagers were arrested on Wednesday over a spate of break-ins, but owners say not enough is being done.

Owner of Yiros Central Veli Uysal – who escaped being targeted this week – said Wednesday’s break-ins was the sixth or seventh such event in the past four years.

He said he felt extremely lucky his business has managed to avoid break-ins despite how often it happened.

“Luckily I haven’t been targeted,” Mr Uysal said.

“Each time I look through the CCTV, (I can) see them look through my door (and) windows with their torch. I have been quite lucky I suppose.”

Police have charged three boys aged 14 and 15 over Wednesday night’s crime spree, in which nearly a dozen small businesses – mainly food shops – were broken into across Adelaide’s west and north. They are hunting for five others.

Veli Uysal of Yiros Central at the Brickworks Marketplace. Picture: Kelly Barnes

Mr Uysal said he does “as much as he can” to try to avoid becoming a victim.

“My registers are always open and I leave all my doors unlocked and open – except the front door,” he said.

For some businesses along the front of the Brickworks Marketplace, it’s not the first or second break-in they’ve had to endure.

“Cibo, I think, this is their third time. Same as the pizza (shop) and W&W Quan.”

Mr Uysal, 55, offered his condolences to the businesses he now calls “family”.

“We’ve been here the same length – about nine years. If I could do anything to help, I would. We are a family in here.”

Mr Uysal couldn’t understand why the Brickworks had become such a target for youth crime over the years.

“I honestly couldn’t tell you. Maybe some kids are just getting bored this day and age.

“I’ve seen some (of the) footage and there’s about four or five of them involved and they look very young.”

Police returned to the Brickworks on Thursday, questioning members of the public and business owners about the break-ins in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The Advertiser spoke to many businesses in the Brickworks Marketplace, most of which declined to comment on the break-ins, which rocked the tight-knit community.

Abby Dzodz, the manager of clothing store W.Lane, said while she hadn’t been victim to any break-ins during her four years at the business, she had encountered her fair share of shoplifters.

“I do have a lot of people that come in and steal in here,” the 23-year-old said.

“There’s a lot of people that steal in the centre.

“When I first started we actually had a smash in our back window so obviously someone had tried to break in then.”

Bofei Hou of Chillilulu was one of the stores broken into. Picture: Kelly Barnes

Ms Dzodz said there was a need for a security upgrade.

“I think there needs to be at least two people on because I think there’s only one and sometimes they’re over at the Dan Murphy’s,” she said.

”There definitely needs to be a lot more security.”

Ben Alexander, the manager of Brickworks Newsagency, told the Advertiser walking into work on the morning of the incident was “confronting”.

“We’re a family so to speak so we’re all quite close. I could see how flat some of those shop owners were,” he said.

“I made an (effort) to buy some Vietnamese (from W&W Quan), I could see she was really flat this morning.”

Mr Alexander, 53, said seeing the impact it had on his fellow shop owners was “deflating”.

“It definitely has an impact because you’re working hard – putting in a hard days work – and then you rock up to your shop the next day and something like that’s happened. It’s nothing short of deflating.”

Brickworks Marketplace management declined to comment.