A family-run music shop has been targeted by thieves, who stole 40 Italian-made accordions worth £130,000 in what police believe was a planned raid. The Accordion Shop in Sunningdale, Berkshire, is one of a handful of dedicated accordion shops in the UK. On the night of 7 August, a gang broke into the store and made off with about a third of the business’s stock.

The thieves deliberately selected high-end, Italian-made accordions, ignoring all the cheaper instruments made by less well-known producers. The looted accordions were worth thousands of pounds each, with one, an Exclesior, retailing for £6,995.



Bev Lovell, whose grandfather founded the shop in 1927, believes the raid was planned and carried out by criminals intent on selling the highly prized items on the black market in mainland Europe, where the instrument is more widely played than in the UK. “They left all the cheaper accordions here,” he said. “They knew what they were doing.”



Lovell said that Italian-made instruments were particularly sought after in eastern and southern Europe, where the instrument remains popular with folk musicians and is still taught in schools. “In this country, accordions aren’t recognised as a musical instrument in schools, but in mainland Europe, they are. The demand for these items will certainly be higher in those countries.”



Within the industry, Italian-made accordions were regarded as the best. “Bear in mind that at one stage, accordions were Italy’s biggest export,” Lovell said.

Lovell has not been contacted by Thames Valley police investigating the case since the raid in August, but officers have now released CCTV images of a man they would like to speak to in connection with the robbery. Investigating officer PC Andrew Corbett said: “I am appealing for the man pictured in these images, or anyone who knows him, to please contact Thames Valley police immediately as we believe he might have vital information about the burglary.



“We believe the man might have links to Port Talbot, so I would encourage communities in that area of south Wales to share our appeal and these pictures. If you know this man or have any other information about this burglary, please call 101 and ask for Thames Valley police, quoting reference number 43160218225.”

Although Lovell believes the instruments were shipped out of the country soon after the crime, he is urging accordion players to be on the lookout for suspicious sellers on the black market. He has uploaded a list of the items stolen to the shop’s website in the hope that someone might spot one of the valuable items.

