Newly-opened Poppy’s Artisan Bakery was broken into last week amid an apparent spate of high street burglaries

Yannis Tolias outside his business Poppy's Artisan Bakery — Yannis Tolias outside his business Poppy’s Artisan Bakery

A borough business owner says he believes burglars are targeting local shops after his bakery was broken into last week.

Yannis Tolias is the owner of newly-opened Poppy’s Artisan Bakery in Church Street, Enfield Town, and has been preparing for a big launch event due to take place this week. But burglars broke into the café in the early hours of Tuesday morning (21st), stealing cash and other items worth nearly £1,000.

Yannis has since spoken to other business owners in the town centre and says several have also suffered break-ins over the past few months. These include Fireaway Pizza, B&A Barber Shop, Sage Clothing, Marcus Kitchen and Tasty Gyros. Mima’s Place, a café in Bush Hill Park, has also recently been burgled.

He told the Dispatch: “We have only been trading for three months so we are just trying to get the business going. It is a violation really and it puts us on notice that there are criminals in the area.

“Now we are going to have invest in more security.”

Emma Rigby, founder of business networking group Love Your Doorstep, added: “We are deeply saddened to hear of break-ins in Enfield Town recently. The cost of crime to small businesses and to the wider Enfield economy needs urgent action.”

Evidence of the break-in at Poppy’s has been sent to the Metropolitan Police but no arrests have been made.

The damage left by the burglars has since been repaired and Poppy’s is still planning to hold its launch event this Friday (31st) from 4pm-6pm. The business serves hot drinks and baked goods with a Greek twist and is named after Yannis’s business partner’s mother, Poppy, who bakes some of the desserts they sell.

“Enfield Town didn’t have a shop like this before and there is a big Greek population, so that’s why we opened here,” Yannis says. “It is the first time since I have lived in the UK that I have felt a sense of community and everyone has been so nice.”

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