‘The whole front of the shop is destroyed’: Mallow supermarket counts cost of ATM raid attempt

Staff at a Mallow supermarket received a “nasty shock” when they arrived at work on Tuesday morning and discovered the front of their workplace had been “destroyed”.

Gardaí are investigating what they described as a burglary in which a JCB telehandler was used in the early hours of Tuesday to ram the front of Dano’s SuperValu in Ballydahin, Mallow.

A criminal gang is suspected of stealing the JCB and using it in an attempt to gain access to the ATM on the premises at approximately 1.30am.

However, the ATM inside the business was empty following the long weekend, and smaller supermarket ATMs are routinely emptied overnight, according to sources.

Con O’Keeffe, checkout supervisor at Dano’s, told The Echo that the attempted raid had resulted in tens of thousands of euro worth of damage.

“The whole front of the shop is destroyed, and it will all have to be replaced, which you would expect would cost tens of thousands,” he said.

“We got a nasty shock when we saw the extent of the damage. They dumped the JCB outside the front, but they broke bollards when they rammed the place, and they’ll have to be replaced too.” 

 Mr O’Keeffe said he believed gardaí were investigating the incident, but supermarket staff were not aware of any further details.

The attempted burglary and resulting damage disrupted trading at the family-owned supermarket on Tuesday.

Local Fine Gael TD John Paul O’Shea told the Irish Examiner it was very disappointing to see what appeared to be an attempted ATM robbery in the town.

“Dano’s is a family-run business. There’s a considerable amount of damage. And it’s a fantastic shop, they provide a brilliant service," Mr O'Shea said.

“Gardaí were at the scene quickly this morning.

“We must now make sure the full rigours of the law are applied and that people are arrested as soon as possible."

Mr O’Shea said he is working in the Dáil, in line with the Programme for Government’s commitment, to tackle retail crime.

Retail crime is now “creeping into all towns and villages”, whereas it was once largely confined to Ireland’s largest cities, he said.

“There’s a lot of work to get on with in supporting the retailers too," he said. "They supply our weekly shop and they need to be supported.” 

 A statement from Garda Headquarters said: “Gardaí received a report of an incident of burglary that occurred at a business premises in Mallow, Co Cork, on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at approximately 1.30am.” 

 Gardaí are appealing to anyone with information to contact the Mallow Garda Station on 022 31450, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any garda station.

Earlier this year, following the closure of EuroGiant in Mallow, Dano’s SuperValu advertised 12 permanent part-time and full-time positions.