Shopkeepers have taken to the streets to say enough is enough after the fatal stabbing of a Hamilton man working at an Auckland dairy.

Janak Patel, 34, died after an alleged robbery at a Sandringham dairy he was working at on Wednesday night.

About 200 people stood on Te Rapa Road, outside The Base, on Sunday to call for the Government to address the crime wave hitting small businesses – before anyone else died.

'This is happening all the time. We just don't know what will happen next,” an exasperated Sanjay Sharma says.

His store, the Bryant Park Super Liquor, was the victim of its first aggravated robbery on Wednesday at 6pm.

Five people came in with knives and stole two cash registers, spirits, and RTDs before smashing up the store.

'It's very scary. Luckily the staff were safe, which is the main thing."

His staff saw the group coming on CCTV and hid in the staff room for safety, he says.

He says robbers are getting braver and more violent, and the fear of it happening again is always in the back of his mind – and his staff's.

He says there needs to be harsher consequences for teens targeting retailers, and believes shop owners will need to start protecting themselves with weapons.

A show of hands by the people targeted by an aggravated robbery saw almost the whole crowd raise their hands.

Raza Mehdi was on the main Hamilton road in solidarity with dairy and superette owners.

His wholesaler business, Bizline Hamilton, provides goods to about 200 dairies and almost all of them have been targeted.

'I am here in support of them. It's really sad, really frustrating for the community.”

He says most small retailers are family run and it's sad to see their livelihood's targeted frequently.

Raza says shoplifting isn't a new problem for dairy owners, but the frequency and level of violence has increased.

'We need to change the laws, I know they are young kids but we need to be strict.”

National Party leader Chris Luxon, who was at the protest, says small retailers have been crying out for help for years.

'It's a big deal for them to pack up their shops and be out here. Enough is enough.”

He says the cacophony of toots from people in cars driving past the protest showed public support for action.

Something needs to be done, he says.

'I genuinely hope that something good comes out of this tragic situation. You all deserve to feel safe in your homes, your businesses and your communities.”

Luxon says there needs to be serious consequences for serious offending.

The National Party's policy targeting young offenders, announced last week, would see those aged 15-17, who commit two or more serious crimes do a stint of up to 12 months in a young offender military academy.

National Party leader Chris Luxon Leader spoke to protestors.

Meanwhile, police announced they had caught the alleged killer of Janak Patel and an associate on Friday night.

A 34-year-old appeared in the Auckland District Court on Saturday, charged with murder and a second man, charged with robbery, will appear today.

A third man was arrested and charged with robbery on Sunday and will appear in Auckland District Court on today.

Two days after Patel's death, a vape shop in Hamilton's Melville was targeted by five young people armed with knives.

Vapeys NZ owner Sidhu Naresh says they ran into the store on Friday at 6pm yelling, wearing masks, and wielding knives.

They forced the staff member to kneel down with his hands in the air and held a knife to his neck.

The teens smashed all the cabinets, grabbed about $20,000 worth of products and took the till which had about $4000 cash in it.

A courier driver, who was at a petrol station across the road, heard the commotion and grabbed one of the teenagers in an attempt to help, but he was cut with a knife and backed off.

'I am really happy he [staff member] didn't get hurt. I am thankful I wasn't there, because I'm not sure that I would have had the composure.

'As a business owner, watching the things you worked hard for smashed in front of you.”

He says he's 100 per cent worried about himself, or his staff, being killed by a robber and is glad his staff member had been sensible.

He owns seven vape stores across Auckland and Hamilton and says they have been robbed or ram-raided about 10 or 11 times.

The constant attacks gives him nightmares, and it has become normal for him to wake up in the middle of the night and check the cameras.

He's angry and frustrated, and wants harsher punishments for the teenagers.

The teens could never afford to pay for the damage, he says. They are instead forced to apologise and do community service.

'I am fed up.”

The cost of living crisis and staffing shortages are enough to worry about without the stress of being robbed.

And insurance will not cover the loss, says Sidhu.

The business is high-risk and he was asked to implement more security measures before the insurance company renewed his contact.

He's still in the middle of installing those that when the business was attacked.

-Rachel Moore/Stuff.