Retail leaders are calling on the authorities to bring-in “full force of the law” against rioters and looters, warning that retail staff across the country are concerned for their safety.
The recent anti-migrant protest, which erupted after the fatal stabbing of three young girls at a dance class in the seaside town of Southport, took an ugly turn on Saturday (3). Looting and vandalism were reported from multiple cities over the weekend. Several high street stores across the country, including some independent convenience stores, were badly damaged and looted.
Windsor Mini Mart in Southport, Sham Supermarket in Belfast and King Store in Liverpool are some of the convenience stores that were badly impacted in the riots.
In Manchester, Sainsbury’s Mosley Street local store was forced to close after rioters ransacked its shelves. An Iceland was also looted in Middlesbrough. Retailer Lush, best known for its cosmetics and fragrant beauty products, saw its shop in Hull damaged and looters were pictured leaving the store with handfuls of products.
Commenting on the situation, Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said, “Many retail workers have been heading to work fearing their stores and their safety could be compromised by the looting and vandalism that has taken grip in various parts of the country.
“Some are already seeing the impact, as they spend their day cleaning up the damage caused by these selfish and criminal acts,” The Telegraph quoted Dickinson as saying. “The full force of the law should be brought to bear on those individuals who are committing criminal damage and theft against retailers and the communities they are part of.”
Similar reaction came from Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) whose chairman warned that the recent wave of riots risk leaving a “scar” on High Streets and businesses.
Martin McTague, chairman of the FSB, told the BBC’s Today programme the “mayhem” is “having a devastating impact” on businesses and local communities when High Streets have already been suffering.
The damage would likely take months and millions of pounds to clear up, he added, calling on central and local government to work together to support smaller firms.
Retail NI’s chief executive Glyn Roberts described the weekend’s attacks on Belfast businesses as “despicable”.
“Racism has no place in our community,” he said, adding that those behind the action should be “brought to justice”.
It estimated that the four days of violence cost the UK between £200 million and £500m in damages, lost trade and policing. Several high street stores have been the victim of lootings and attacks during the wave of violence that spread quickly across cities including Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and Belfast.
Meanwhile, a leading retail charity has stated that it is seeing a rise in distress calls.
Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of retail industry charity the Retail Trust, said,” The Retail Trust is seeing a rise in calls from retail staff fearing for their safety following looting and vandalism in shops across the country and we are working closely with affected retailers to ensure their colleagues are getting the support they need to deal with any difficult experiences.
“We know there will be many more retail workers out there with worries and concerns so we’d encourage anyone to call the Retail Trust’s 24-hour helpline on 0808 801 0808 if they need in-the-moment wellbeing support or specialist help from our counselling team following incidents of in-store violence, criminal damage or theft.”
