The men – dressed in dark clothing with their faces covered – used sledgehammers to smash the front door and several display cases. They took earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and rings and escaped in a dark vehicle within four minutes.
Police later confirmed the vehicle, described as a "luxury four-wheel drive", had been stolen from a property in the beachside suburb of Bronte in January.
The raid was captured on CCTV footage, which has been released to the public.
View CCTV footage and Channel 9 coverage »
Inspector Gary Coffey, NSW Police, said, “We haven’t seen this type of crime in quite some time here in the city, but based on the footage… there is a level of planning there.”
He added that the men had “obviously established the location they were going to target well before tonight”.
Michel Germani – who has operated the store since 1985 – said, "It was so brazen, it's unbelievable," adding, "In 2002 we were ramraided. It took us six months to get the store back to normal after that. It was a nightmare."
Speaking to 9 News, Germani added, “People are desperate – and I was concerned, with everything that is happening, that people would resort to things like that [stealing]. That’s the scary part.”
No arrests have been made; police investigations continue.
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