E-scooters Sheffield: Yorkshire Electric Scooters in Attercliffe bounces back after £30,000 raid

Yorkshire Electric Scooters on Leeds Road in Attercliffe only welcomed the first customers to its shop five days before thieves struck minutes after it closed on November 13 last year, stealing every electric scooter inside.

A year on, its owner, Gordon Riley, aged 50, said the business has been nothing but thriving thanks to the support from the local community.

This was despite the fact that he faced a crucial decision about whether or not to continue due to the business's significant losses.

He told The Star: “It was a really deciding moment, whether we stayed on doing this after such a traumatic event to the business or we called it a day.

“We decided to carry on and I'm so glad we did. It's been an exciting year. We are now selling scooters and loads more electric bicycles as well.”

He said they spent a month after the incident to decide whether they could afford to reopen and how they could improve things and learn from their past mistakes.

Gordon added: “People heard about us so we had lots of sympathy and they tried to help us track these scooters down, which really brought a tear to my eye.

“A lot of people who care about local businesses and that was something else. That's one of the main reasons I carried on doing it.”

‘They must have cut themselves as they came in’

Recalling the incident, he said thieves broke in through the front door window and pulled off the metal shutters. They also kicked the window through, shattering the glass.

“They did leave some traces of blood as well, so they must have cut themselves as they came in,” he said.

“There are now people in jail and people with other sentences as well. Because of this, that really put a damper on our opening but we decided to persevere.

“I really want to carry on doing what we can, not just for us. We are not in it for the money as I need to help people and create jobs and make people safer.”

He said since the reopening, they have added additional security to the shop with metal bars and numerous sets of video cameras installed.

“We also have a smoke alert, so if somebody breaks in, within 15 seconds the smoke goes off and it completely changes the visibility of the whole shop.”

Business continues to grow

Gordon stated that he had considered relocating the shop, but opted against it due to the rapid development of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park nearby.

He said: “I'm really excited about the whole area and that's what got me to move into this small style to start off with - in the backstreet that's not seen.

“What's happening with Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is phenomenal for the city and the area and that's exactly why I moved here.”

He said that the business, which began with just him, has developed after he hired seven more employees to fill various roles.

Customers also come to the shop for maintenance services such as repairs for their scooters, which are thoroughly inspected for safety and kept up to date with the newest software to ensure that they are structurally safe.