A 19-year-old forestry worker has been arrested for the attempted armed robbery of The Souvenir Store in Mount Maunganui.

The alleged offender was arrested overnight and has been charged with assault with intent to rob.

Police at the scene of the attempted robbery in Mount Maunganui.

He is due to appear in court today.

The man is alleged to have presented a knife and demanded money at the Souvenir Store on Maunganui Road at about 2.30pm on Tuesday.

Police say the alleged offender left the store empty handed and no one was hurt in the incident.

The storekeeper is shaken by what happened and is receiving assistance from Victim Support.

Following the attempted robbery, the man was seen running to a vehicle which was parked nearby in Prince Avenue and he drove off a short time later.

The vehicle is described as an older model 4-door sedan with faded red paint.

Detective Sergeant Alan Kingsbury says it appeared the man had been in the souvenir store for about 30 minutes prior to the attempted robbery and it was possible he had been in other shops in the area as well.

'Police appreciate the quality information members of the public were able to provide and this was a significant factor in the arrest being made.”