After Covid, a car crashing through the shopfront is nothing for Te Puke pharmacy

A car crashed through Life Pharmacy Te Puke's Jellicoe St shop frontage last Wednesday.

Covid-19 didn't stop us - and neither will a car through the front door.

That was the reaction of Life Pharmacy Te Puke co-owner Sam Appleford after a car crashed through the Jellicoe St shop frontage on Wednesday last week.

Sam was on his way to the shop at the time and says he is still unsure exactly how the car ended up in the shop.

The crash happened about 4.40pm.

''Fortunately, no one was really near the entrance at the time,'' says Sam. ''It was a bit of a shock, but we quickly just cleaned it up and carried on.''

The pharmacy was open for business on Thursday morning, although the front entrance will remain boarded up until the shopfront can be rebuilt.

''We're going to have to wait maybe two or three weeks to get the repairs done.''

There were plenty of messages for staff the following day, with one well-wisher taking flowers to the pharmacy.

''The community's been fantastic, that's the beauty of working and living in the Bay of Plenty - its great people.''

Sam says there did not seem to be any trauma for staff.

''We worked through the Covid lockdown and that really brings you together as a team.''

Customers are being directed to the Oxford St entrance.

''We're operating as normal, well as much as normal as we possibly can. Everything's still available, we are just boarded up at the front,'' says Sam.