Owner of Sportsmans Warehouse Luke Sims was stunned and angry after the brazen break-in at the Dean Street shop.

Yesterday, he appealed for the public to come forward with any information that could help police catch those responsible for last Friday’s burglary.

The break-in happened between 3.15am and 4am.

“It was very calculated, it had to be,” Mr Sims said.

“Just how direct and abrupt it was, it was clearly targeted, which gives us clues.

“They knew exactly what they were looking for.”

CCTV footage from the store shows a man running through the back door directly to the 20-kilogram safe, then pick it up and run out again.

The burglary took no more than six seconds.

Store manager Steven Burke said he attended the store with security personnel when the alarm went off but found the front door was locked.

It wasn’t until he returned home he remembered the alarm wasn’t attached to the back door, and quickly drove back to check it, and found it wide open.

The lock did not appear to have been tampered with and there was no other damage to the store.

While the store already had security doors, CCTV and alarm systems, Mr Sims said all security had now been upgraded, including a change of locks and a new, unbreakable safe that was bolted down.

“From our point of view, we’d had a really good Christmas and were ready to launch into the new year, and this was just devastating,” he said.

“We’re just wondering why people would do this ... it wasn’t an opportunist type of crime.

“We’ve got to sell thousands of dollars worth of goods to recoup this loss.”

Albury police are investigating.

Two men smashed the window of Scott’s Liquor store in Greta Road, Wangaratta, on New Year’s Eve, stealing a safe from under the counter.

Anyone with information on the Dean Street burglary should phone Albury police on (02) 6023 9299.