The owner of two grocery stores targeted in successive ram raids in Alice Springs overnight says it's "getting very hard" for small businesses to survive in the town.
Pigglys Supermarket on Gap Road and Milner Road Foodtown, both owned by Haydn Rodda, were targeted by up five offenders in a stolen vehicle shortly after midnight.
NT Police said the East Side IGA was also rammed, but it didn't appear the offenders gained entry.
Police said a grey Ford Ranger ute was stolen from a caravan park in Ross, with the offenders causing thousands of dollars worth of damage and stealing large quantities of alcohol from the two stores.
Police believe the same vehicle was used to ram raid all three businesses, before the offenders fled the scene.
Speaking to ABC Radio Alice Springs, Mr Rodda said he and his wife had been at Pigglys since 1am, after being notified of the ram raid by a security patrol.
"Pigglys has the biggest damage. They got through into the bottle shop and caused a hell of a mess," he said.
"They went through the wall into the coolroom panelling, and then all the beer and spirits are all over the floor, and they obviously stole a bit. I don't know how much yet."
Police said tyre spikes were eventually deployed on the vehicle along Larapinta Drive, with all five offenders fleeing the scene on foot.
Strike Force Viper is continuing to investigate the incidents and is urging anyone with information to contact police.
Businesses targeted before
Mr Rodda said it was the "third or fourth time" Milner Road Foodtown had been ram-raided, and Pigglys had also been targeted several times before.
"As soon as you get that phone call at 12.30 or in the morning, you know it's not good news, so it's getting very hard to do it," he said.
"It's the huge damage — that's the biggest issue. The alcohol [theft] is bad but it's the damage that it's caused."
He said he was appreciative of his staff and tradespeople, who had helped to secure the premises and ensure business operations could continue.
The ongoing challenges facing Mr Rodda's stores have taken an emotional toll on the business owner.
"We're just trying to run a business, that's all we're trying to do, just like everyone else," he said.
"You get kicked in the guts all the time. You've got to take the good with the bad, I suppose, and we've just got to try to get through it.
"All small businesses are hurting at the moment and they're not making it any easier."
Alcohol restrictions impacting businesses
Last week, Chief Minister Natasha Fyles extended takeaway alcohol restrictions in Alice Springs for another three months, arguing they had been effective in curbing alcohol-fuelled harm.
Customers are allowed one sale per person per day, with alcohol-free days continuing on Mondays and Tuesdays for takeaway purchases.
Bottle shop opening hours continue to be capped, with alcohol sales only permitted between 3pm and 7pm, excluding on Saturdays.
Since 2018, smaller licensed grocery stores have also been restricted by a law requiring owners to cap liquor sales so that they do not exceed 25 per cent of total sales.
