A Dominion Rd store ram-raided by thieves who stole up to $10,000 worth of stock had been open less than a month before Monday's theft.
A pair of masked robbers caught on CCTV about 1.30am were seen to bust through the e-cigarette vendor's glass front with a white car, proceeding to steal vaping equipment and liquids.
Vapo's owner Ben Pryor said between $5000 and $10,000 worth of stock had been stolen, less than a month after he'd opened the Dominion Rd store.
"Looks like cigarettes aren't the only thing worth ram-raiding now," he told the Herald.
A recent spate of cigarette robberies in Auckland has led to the creation of a crime prevention group amongst dairy owners and a petition to review current police policy.
In the lead-up to the opening Pryor had been working late into the night to make the shop look "really great".
"We've put in so much time and effort," he said.
"We've designed that to be a kind of showcase basically in a classy way, because it's such a new technology.
"We've gone to great expense to make it look like a really great store and we've been open for less than a month."
Pryor was alerted to the incident when police arrived on his doorstep on Monday morning to tell him about the theft.
They had been called by a resident across the road who saw the incident unfold and called police.
"You just don't expect a ram-raid, especially on a vape store," Pryor said.
"We just have no idea why they'd rob it."
He said he believed the store had been targeted specifically and hoped the "awesome" vaping community might help identify leads if the stolen product was on-sold in the area.
While Vapo was insured, Pryor said he wasn't sure yet how much he'd be able to claim.
At the moment the store was operating out of a convenience store next door, thanks to the kindness of the business' next door neighbours.
He hoped to re-open the shop by Saturday and would be installing a metal roller door to try and prevent future break-ins.
Police confirmed the incident had been reported and was under investigation.
"Police have carried out a forensic scene examination and enquiries are under way," said Sergeant Gavin Bailey of Avondale Police.
Anyone with information was asked to contact Bailey on 021 191 2822.