Second ram raid on Melbourne’s Collins St Dior boutique in matter of weeks

Australia’s peak retail body is “deeply concerned” about the surging rate of retail crime in Melbourne after the Collins St Dior boutique was ram raided for the second time in a fortnight.

The Dior store in Collins St has been targeted for the second time in a fortnight. Picture: Brendan Beckett

Australia’s peak retail body is “deeply concerned” about the surging rate of retail crime in Melbourne after luxury fashion store Dior was ram raided for the second time in a fortnight.

The Christian Dior boutique on Collins St was again targeted by thieves in another dramatic ram raid carried out in the early hours of Friday.

Australian Retail Association chief industry affairs officer Fleur Brown said Melbourne had become a “hotspot” for retail crime with sharp surges in both shoplifting and violent threats towards retail staff.

“It is very distressing for retail stores to have anything happen like the ram raid, but to have it happen repeatedly is a really traumatic event for those store teams,” Ms Brown said.

“We are deeply concerned about... the increase that we are seeing in retail crime.

“We would like to see a response in Victoria with strengthened legislation.”

Store employees survey the carnage. Picture: Brendan Beckett

Mannequins were left strewn over the floor and display cabinets smashed. Picture: Brendan Beckett

No employees were in the store at the time of the attack. Picture: Brendan Beckett

It’s the second time the boutique has been targeted in a matter of weeks. Picture: Brendan Beckett

Police inspect the crime scene. Picture: Brendan Beckett

The ute was driven through the shopfront. Picture: Brendan Beckett

Tens of thousands of dollars of merchandise were stolen. Picture: Brendan Beckett

The store sits on a corner between Collins St and a driveway. Picture: Brendan Beckett

A ute was reversed through glass storefront of the Dior boutique on Collins St about 4am.

Once inside the thieves smashed glass display cabinets and stole a number of items before they fled the scene in a separate vehicle.

Mannequins and glass lay sprawled across the shop floor from the frenzied attack, with the thieves making off with tens of thousands of dollars worth of handbags and jewellery.

The ram raid comes two weeks after a similar attack on the same boutique.

In that incident on March 6, a black sedan was crashed into the store about 5am.

The thieves smashed cars through the same window in both attacks, with the boutique positioned on a corner between the driveway entrance to the Westin Melbourne Hotel and its Collins St frontage.

The investigation into the attacks is ongoing.

Anyone with footage or information is urged to contact crimestoppersvic.com.au.