Crime in retail has gone through the roof so much so that the word shoplifting seems to diminish what is actually happening out there in the stores. Forced to do something to tackle the daily conflict with abusive offenders and prolific shoplifters, some retailers have found respite in technology, Asian Trader has learnt.
Walking-in and brazenly running out with several items in tow, filling bags with numerous products at ease and retaliating to retail staff when objected to, utterly fearless conduct, filming the act of store looting and aggressive mob behaviors are some of the things that are described by store owners across the country. None of them seems like a discreet harmless petty crime.
Retail thefts across the sector in England and Wales rose by 27 per cent in 2022, according to the retail trade body British Retail Consortium (BRC). In some major cities, the figure has shot up by as much as 68 per cent.
While numerous reports continue to expose the police inefficiency in this matter, it is no surprise that store owners are now taking things in their own hands to safeguard their businesses and the safety of themselves and their staff.
In the words of Dave Hiscutt, who handles five stores with two in Weymouth and one in Southampton, store owners and managers are now “forced to do something” as the situation has “gone too far the other way”.
“Shoplifters are essentially becoming invincible, because they keep getting away with it. We had people filling up baskets and running out of the door. We need to get this under control,” he said.
Police and law
Shoplifting offences have soared by a quarter this year, according to the Office for National Statistics though in the 12 months to March, the police recorded 339,206 cases of shoplifting despite the BRC estimating there were eight million incidents.
Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire Chris Philp has recently called on retailers to instruct their security guards to intervene when it is safe to do so and use the power of citizen arrest.
“Where it’s safe to do so I would encourage that to be used, because if you do just let people walk in and take stuff and walk out without proper challenge, including potentially a physical challenge, then it will just escalate,” Philp said at a recent fringe event hosted by the Policy Exchange think tank.
Meanwhile, National Police Chiefs' Council Lead for Acquisitive Crime, chief constable Amanda Blakeman, has assured Asian Trader that violent offences will never be tolerated.
“Retail crime has a damaging impact, and we are committed to tackling offenders and supporting retailers in reducing shoplifting and attacks on retail staff.
“We know that organised crime is responsible for a proportion of these offences and we welcome the collaboration between retailers, police and crime commissioners and policing through Project Pegasus which enhances our ability to identify and tackle the groups involved,” she said.
iStock image
Announced recently, Project Pegasus aims to crack down on shoplifting by identifying and targeting the organised crime gangs as part of government efforts to ensure all forces show zero tolerance. Under this, police forces will run each CCTV image of shoplifting offences provided by retailers through the Police National Database, which includes facial recognition technology.
Blakeman explained that centralising intelligence about organised retail crime enables police to target resources where they can be most effective.
“Alongside our close working with industry and government as part of a national task force, we are tackling the issue from all perspectives,” Blakeman said.
“Organised crime is of course only part of the problem and we continue to target those prolific and habitual offenders whose behaviour cause misery and takes profit from our communities and retailers.
Blakeman told Asian Trader that local police forces assess each report through a threat, harm and risk model to determine their police response and will deploy resources where they can be most effective in catching offenders and keeping people safe.
Pegasus will receive £600,000 from ten supermarkets and retailers including John Lewis, Co-op, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Next. Philp reportedly has also tasked police leaders with drawing up a target list of prolific shoplifters to create a national shoplifting database that can be circulated to retailers and police forces across the country.
Tackling through tech
To tackle similar menace on almost daily basis, Coventry-based One Stop Store retailer Aman Uppal has proactively joined hands with other store owners and managers in the area proactively, acknowledging that the police is “very overstretched and it has not got the means to respond and deal with every case”.
Uppal is a part of a 200-member-strong WhatsApp group in which members share information immediately if a shoplifter or a looter gang is out and about.
Retailer Aman Uppal
“This group was set up by a security guard about a year ago. The members are not just independent retailers, but also people who work for security in the in the city center, people who work security for places like Sainsbury's, Tesco, or at places like clothing shops.
“It's basically a very valuable tool to know not just locally, but also citywide on what is happening where and who is doing it. All the data is shared confidentially, and we don’t share the info beyond that group.
“I've had instances in the past where locally within one mile of my store, I came to know that there has been a major theft at a supermarket with intelligence shared about that person. And because I knew that my store is close by, I got alert and about 45 minutes later, I saw the same person, who had just committed a crime, walking into my store.
Since Uppal was extra vigilant, he was able to prevent something of the sort getting repeated in his store too.
“We have not gone to the stage of self-policing as in refusing entry to somebody whom we know has committed an offence at another store. We just get extra vigilant and keep more of a closer eye on that person,” Uppal told Asian Trader, adding that the WhatsApp group is working out very well for him as it covers approximately 15-mile radius of Coventry.
Hiscutt, on the other hand, has taken a wider digital leap to take matters completely in his own hands to tackle the rising cases of shoplifting and constant conflicts with thieves.
"Crime kept elevating. In our town centre store, the situation was becoming violent. We had to do something and that’s when we contacted Facewatch,” Hiscutt said.
Retailer Dave Hiscutt
A facial recognition retail security company, Facewatch sends its subscribers an immediate alert as soon as a subject of interest enters their premises.
“Now when someone comes and tries to steal and/or gets abusive with the staff, we log their face against the incident statement in explaining exactly what's happened. Next time when the same person comes in, Facewatch sends an alert, at which point, we then go up to them and politely ask them to leave explaining they are not welcome,” Hiscutt told Asian Trader.
By doing so, the store is able to avoid conflict much before the offenders have even selected the products, explained Hiscutt, pointing out that once a person picks an item, it becomes trickier as it leads to conflict while retrieving the goods.
As the offenders are now repeatedly being turned away at the point of entry, they have also reduced targeting Hiscutt’s store altogether, he said.
Apart from Facewatch, Hiscutt’s stores are also equipped with StaffSafe, a communicative intervention security solution through which trained operators keep eyes on store through CCTV and speak through speakers and if needed, taking control of threatening and potentially dangerous situations in real time, thereby reassuring and keeping staff safe, and alerting the emergency services where relevant.
Combining the two systems, Hiscutt explained how he has been able to deter prolific shoplifters from his store.
“When we get a Facewatch alert, my staff plays a pre-recorded message warning the shoplifters in the premises in a strict tone, saying ‘we condone shoplifting and will prosecute the offender’. This message is often enough to deter them without having to get the staff to interact.”
Shoplifters rely on the degree of 30 seconds of being undetected and flying under the radar. As soon as they become aware that their presence and intention are known, they just turn around and leave.
“In some abusive cases, a StaffSafe person from its monitoring centre in Scotland, who can see our store through our cameras, interacts with the person, who is causing the problem, with warnings like ‘your actions are completely unacceptable. Please leave the store now’,” Hiscutt explained, adding that “they will also call 909 for us and liaise with the police on our behalf”, if needed.
For extreme cases involving weapons or violent robbery, there are “silent alarms” that go off on wrist bands of the staff so that they can act accordingly and save themselves.
“The two systems side by side have reduced the level of conflict that we were experiencing in which in turn makes the staff feel happier,” he said, adding that some escalations still happen but StaffSafe helps to bring things under control.
Stating that Southern Co-op near his Southampton store also uses such services like Facewatch, Hiscutt stated, “We are all in the same boat.”
Umar Patel, Operations Director at Brookfield Retail, is completely satisfied with the results of Facewatch.
“Since the integration of Facewatch, it has swiftly brought to light a critical revelation—abuse incidents account for a significant 60 per cent of all reported incidents, reaffirming what we had suspected all along.
“Moreover, Facewatch provides valuable reporting insights like Thursdays are our most likely days for alerts, equipping us to alert our staff to exercise heightened vigilance on these days,” he says.
Head of operations at Facewatch Danielle Wright told Asian Trader that in the initial 12 months of system implementation, the solution has consistently demonstrated the ability to reduce crime by an impressive margin, typically ranging from 35 per cent to 50 per cent.
“Our cutting-edge cloud-based facial recognition system is meticulously designed to shield businesses from criminal activities, fostering a secure atmosphere for both customers and staff.”
StaffSafe spokesperson said that feedback from clients suggests that StaffSafe has had a dramatic effect on their business performance.
“Higher staff morale, less absenteeism, a more confident workforce, less stress, quicker return to work following an incident, higher staff retention and a reduction in recruiting and training costs has all been cited as direct benefits.
StaffSafe control room
“Client feedback has reported up to 50 per cent reduction in losses through theft from their stores since the installation of StaffSafe,” the StaffSafe spokesperson told Asian Trader.
Stop Crime
Retailer bodies like Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) have been campaigning on shop theft for several years, calling for tougher interventions to stop repeat offending, and urging elected Police and Crime Commissioners to make tackling theft a priority in their local plans.
The issue is now heating up and has become a political agenda with Labour promising to crackdown on crime and abuse through “tough new sentencing for assaults on retail workers”.
In the Labour Party Conference speech, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper MP has also committed to remove £200 threshold for investigating incidents of theft, to bring in laws that will ban repeat offenders from town centres and high streets, and to introduce 13,000 more neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs to patrol the streets and make people feel safer.
Currently, the level of retail crime is clearly proving to be increasingly difficult for police to tackle immediately. Until police and law authority up their game to match with looters and shoplifting gangs, it is evident that retailers are left to tackle things on their own.
As industry leaders is cash handling, Volumatic has long supported the use of cash and the importance of maintaining access to cash for both consumers and businesses. The company recognises the importance of the new set of rules created by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) two months ago, to safeguard access to cash for businesses and consumers across the UK.
Since introduction, the new rules are intended to ensure that individuals and businesses who rely on cash can continue to access it and the outcome has already sparked the creation of 15 new banking hubs across the UK, including one in Scotland, with many more to follow.
These hubs provide shared spaces for consumers to access basic services, such as depositing and withdrawing cash, and are being embraced by businesses keen to support the use of cash, who have been struggling in recent years due to the flurry of bank closures across the UK.
With this in mind, Volumatic welcomes the increase in banking hubs and other facilities but recommends businesses go one step further to make things even easier.
“We have known for some time that more and more people are using cash again on a daily basis and so it’s great that access to cash is being protected by the FCA, something that we and others in the industry have been campaigning for, for a long time,” said Volumatic’s Sales & Marketing Director Mike Severs. “Both businesses and consumers need to have easy and local access to cash, and these new rules ensure cash usage continues to rise and will encourage more businesses to realise that cash is still an important and valid payment method.”
With time being of the essence for most businesses, making a journey to the nearest bank, banking hub or Post Office isn’t always possible on a daily basis, plus there is the obvious security risk to both the money and the individual taking it to consider.
Volumatic offers integration with the G4S CASH360 integration
Volumatic’s partnership with G4S, announced back in April 2024, means every business dealing in cash anywhere in the UK can have access to a fully managed solution. This will be especially relevant to those who currently have to walk or travel a distance to a bank or PO to deposit their cash.
Severs adds: “Although having more banking facilities is fantastic news, Volumatic can help businesses even more by bringing the bank to them through an investment in technology like the CCi that can offer integration with the G4S CASH360 solution. Together, we make daily cash processing faster, safer, and more secure and the combination of solutions will save businesses time and money for years to come, making it a truly worthwhile investment.“
Volumatic offers a range of cash handling solutions, with their most advanced device being the CounterCache intelligent (CCi). This all-in-one solution validates, counts and stores cash securely at POS, with UK banks currently processing over 2.5 million CCi pouches each year. When coupled with the upgraded CashView Enterprise cash management software and its suite of intelligent apps, the Volumatic CCi can offer a full end-to-end cash management solution – and now goes one step further.
It does this by providing web service integration with other third-party applications such as the CASH360 cash management system, provided by the foremost UK provider of cash security, G4S Cash Solutions (UK).
“Ultimately, only time will tell how successful the FCA’s new rules will prove. In the short amount of time the new legislation has been in place, the signs are already looking good, and coupled with the new technology we offer, it is a good thing for businesses and consumers alike in the ongoing fight for access to cash and more efficient cash processing,” concludes Severs.
Retail technology company Jisp has launched an NPD service as part of its new Direct to Retailer business unit.
The new NPD service will allow brands to launch or trial new products in a guaranteed number of convenience store locations, with on the ground review of execution by Jisp’s retail growth manager team, and performance data and insights deliverable through its scanning technology and back-office systems.
Brands will also be able to draw on retailer and consumer feedback on the product and its performance thanks to Jisp’s significant resource in user communication, with over 1,000 retailers and more than 100,000 registered shoppers.
Brands can set the parameters of the NPD activity delivered through Jisp’s new service, selecting the duration of the campaign, the number of stores to launch into and even the geographic spread or demographic make-up of the stores included.
Product merchandising and promotional execution in store is monitored by the Jisp RGM team and full reporting is available to help brands better understand the success of their new product and shape future promotional strategy.
This robust data and insight set means that Jisp can not only provide a reliable view of what is selling in stores, but through its scanning technology can also indicate who is buying the product, when, where and why.
Alex Rimmer
“As part of our recent strategic review and restructure, we identified five key pillars of growth, or business units through which to drive new business,” said Alex Rimmer, director of marketing & communication at Jisp.
“Our existing core business already provided us the means to develop new services efficiently and through discussions with major brands, retailers, wholesalers and industry authorities, we identified a need for guaranteed implementation and execution of NPD in the convenience sector.”
Compliance is further assured using Jisp’s Scan & Save scanning technology along with a retailer reward scheme which pays stores for their participation and commitment to the process.
With 1,000 stores already registered with Jisp, the company is in talks with other businesses about opening the new NPD service to their stores given the benefits of securing NPD and reward for execution.
“This is a Win-Win for the sector,” added Alex Rimmer. “Brands can create a bespoke NPD launch campaign with a guarantee that their product will be instore, on shelf and correctly merchandised and promoted, receiving actionable data and insight to shape future strategy. Retailers secure access to NPD, support in merchandising it and reward for taking part, while customers find more local touch points where NPD from their favourite brands are available.”
With this new service promising to be such a valuable asset to the market, retailers and brands are encouraged to contact Jisp to capitalise on the opportunities.
Tesco is slashing the price of more than 222 own-brand and branded products in its Express convenience stores.
Essentials including milk, bread, pasta and coffee are included in the lines which have been reduced in price by an average of more than 10 per cent at Tesco Express stores. The retail giant has made more than 2,800 price cuts across stores in recent months. With 2,048 of convenience stores at the end of the 2023-24 financial year, Tesco aims to benefit hundreds of thousands of customers from the cheaper deals.
The firm said the move comes in the wake of more than 2,800 price cuts made by the chain across its stores in recent months. From Wednesday, customers will pay £1.45 for a four-pint bottle of milk at their local Tesco Express store (down from £1.55) and a Tesco Toastie White Thick White Loaf is also 10p cheaper at 75p.
There are even bigger savings on Tesco Chicken Breast Portions (300g), which have dropped in price by 25p to just £2.25 and a 200g jar of Tesco Gold Instant Coffee now also costs 25p less at just £2.25. Among the branded products with price cuts are Warburtons White Sliced Sandwich Rolls, with the price of a six-pack cut by 10p to just £1.20 and Domestos Original Bleach 750ml, which is now just £1.19 in Express stores after an 11p price cut.
Tesco CEO Ken Murphy said, “Today’s round of price cuts on more than 200 lines in our Express stores underlines our commitment to offering great value to Tesco customers.
"Whether you are picking up coffee and milk for the office or a loaf of bread and a tin of soup on the way home, our Express stores offer both convenience and great value.”
This comes a week after One Stop, the convenience store chain owned by Tesco, has reported a surge in sales to nearly £1.3bn during its latest financial year. The Walsall-based company posted a revenue of £1.29bn for the 12 months to 24 February, 2024, an increase from the previous year's £1.17bn. Over the course of the year, the number of stores directly operated by One Stop increased from 712 to 733, while its franchised locations also grew from 291 to 317.
1. One in five people who have successfully quit smoking in England currently vape, with an estimated 2.2 million individuals using e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool.
2. The increase in vaping among ex-smokers is largely driven by the use of e-cigarettes in quit attempts, with a rise in vaping uptake among people who had previously quit smoking for many years before taking up vaping.
3. While vaping may be a less harmful option compared to smoking, there are concerns about the potential long-term implications of vaping on relapse risk and nicotine addiction. Further research is needed to assess the impact of vaping on smoking cessation outcomes.
ABOUT one in five people who have stopped smoking for more than a year in England currently vape, equivalent to 2.2 million people, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.
The study, published in the journal BMC Medicine and funded by Cancer Research UK, found that this increased prevalence was largely driven by greater use of e-cigarettes in attempts to quit smoking.
However, the researchers also found a rise in vaping uptake among people who had already stopped smoking, with an estimated one in 10 ex-smokers who vape having quit smoking prior to 2011, when e-cigarettes started to become popular. Some of those smokers had quit for many years before taking up vaping.
The study looked at survey data collected between October 2013 and May 2024 from 54,251 adults (18 and over) in England who reported they had stopped smoking or had tried to stop smoking.
“The general increase in vaping among ex-smokers is in line with what we might expect, given the increasing use of e-cigarettes in quit attempts. NHS guidance is that people should not rush to stop vaping after quitting smoking, but to reduce gradually to minimise the risk of relapse,” lead author Dr Sarah Jackson, of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, said.
“Previous studies have shown that a substantial proportion of people who quit smoking with the support of an e-cigarette continue to vape for many months or years after their successful quit attempt.
“However, it is a concern to see an increase in vaping among people who had previously abstained from nicotine for many years. If people in this group might otherwise have relapsed to smoking, vaping is the much less harmful option, but if relapse would not have occurred, they are exposing themselves to more risk than not smoking or vaping.”
For the study, researchers used data from the Smoking Toolkit Study, an ongoing survey that interviews a different representative sample of adults in England each month.
The team found that one in 50 people in England who had quit smoking more than a year earlier reported vaping in 2013, rising steadily to one in 10 by the end of 2017. This figure remained stable for several years and then increased sharply from 2021, when disposable e-cigarettes became popular, reaching one in five in 2024 (estimated as 2.2 million people).
The researchers found, at the same time, an increase in the use of e-cigarettes in quit attempts. In 2013, e-cigarettes were used in 27 per cent of quit attempts, while in 2024 they were used in 41 per cent of them.
Senior author Professor Lion Shahab, of UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, said: “The implications of these findings are currently unclear. Vaping long term may increase ex-smokers’ relapse risk due to its behavioural similarity to smoking and through maintaining (or reigniting) nicotine addiction. Alternatively, it might reduce the risk of relapse, allowing people to satisfy nicotine cravings through e-cigarettes instead of seeking out uniquely harmful cigarettes. Further longitudinal studies are needed to assess which of these options is more likely.”
Independent retailers association Bira has held a meeting with members of the Treasury team to discuss concerns following its robust response to the Government’s recent Budget announcement.
The Budget, labelled by Bira as "devastating" for independent retailers, was met with widespread indignation from Bira members.
Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira, said: “Thank you to all the members who have shared their thoughts on the impact of the budget. Based on this feedback, Bira has been robust in its response and judgement of the budget, especially where it is hurting the medium sized independents by as much as an extra cost of £200K per annum.
“We have also held a meeting with members of the Treasury team to discuss our concerns. Whilst there were no indications that any changes would be made, our concerns were listened to.
“We also discussed the proposed reform to business rates which is due to be in place for April 2026. It was clear from the meeting that Bira will be fully involved with this reform.”
Bira, representing over 6,000 independent retailers across the UK, earlier stated that the reduction in business rates relief from 75 per cent to 40 per cent (capped at £110k) from April 2025 will more than double costs for many retailers.
As a post-budget reaction, Goodacre said on Oct 30, "This is without doubt the worst Budget for independent retailers I have seen in my time representing the sector. The government's actions today show complete disregard for the thousands of hard-working shop owners who form the backbone of our high streets.
"Small retailers, who have already endured years of challenging trading conditions, now face a perfect storm of crippling cost increases. Their business rates will more than double as relief drops from 75 per cent to 40 per cent, while they're hit simultaneously with employer National Insurance rising to 15 per cent and a lower threshold of £5,000, down from £9,100. Add to this the minimum wage increase to £12.21, and many of our members are telling us they simply cannot survive this onslaught."