A 42-year-old man has been charged after allegedly assaulting two security guards at the Canberra Centre on Thursday night.

Police say the man was inside a supermarket despite being subject to a banning notice.

After being directed to leave, he allegedly became involved in a verbal altercation with security staff and claimed to have a knife.

He then allegedly shoved one security guard and struck another in the face before being restrained and arrested.

The man has been charged with two counts of assault and one count of trespassing.