A Huddersfield shop owner was given a conditional caution after officers last week seized over £2000 worth of alcohol linked to illegal sales.
The shop in the town centre was allegedly selling alcohol without a license. It had withdrawn a license application in September after a previous raid found counterfeit cigarettes in the shop.
The joint operation involved Kirklees District Police licensing officers and the Huddersfield Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT).
Officers had told the owner that all alcohol had to be removed from display. However they said they were made aware it had continued to remain on sale.
“In this case the retailer has lost a significant and valuable amount of stock as a result of trying to sell these products when well aware they had no licence in place to do so,” said Sergeant Leon Stansfield of the Safer Kirklees Partnership.
“While we are keen to work with licensees to help them during what are tough times they should be in no doubt that we will act if we are aware of breaches occurring.”
The shop owner was given a conditional caution for keeping alcohol on premises for unauthorised sale in breach of the Licensing Act 2003.
“There are clear links between alcohol and anti-social behaviour in our communities and it is really important that retailers who sell beers, wines and spirits are properly licenced and follow the legislation for the safe and responsible sale of these products,” commented Inspector Graham Dyson of the Huddersfield NPT.
A break-in at Zen Vape and Smoke Supplies’ new premises in the Houston Industrial Estate, in Livingston, West Lothian, has delayed the store’s grand opening, scheduled for tomorrow (8 January).
The incident, which occurred on New Year’s Eve, caused extensive damage to the store’s entrance, locking the business out of the property and halting progress on the site.
The intruders targeted a stockpile of fireworks, making off with rockets, Roman candles, and blue smoke bombs. The store is offering a cash reward for information leading to the identification of those responsible, urging the public to report any suspicious activities involving the sale of fireworks in the area.
“We're asking if anyone has information on boys who are trying to sell fireworks or have came into a large amount through suspicious means,” the business said in a Facebook post.
The damage has forced the shop to remain at its current Bathgate location, which had been scheduled to close after New Year’s to facilitate the move.
In a social media update on Sunday, Zen Vape announced that the Bathgate store would reopen temporarily on 6 January, to serve customers while repairs are carried out at the new Livingston property. The company highlighted the financial toll of the incident, noting that repair costs have added “thousands of pounds” to the relocation budget.
“We would really appreciate it, if you guys could still shop with us. As the repairs have added thousands of pounds on to the move to our new shop,” the post read.
Zen Vape and Smoke Supplies had announced its move to the larger Livingston premises in November 2024 after a year of rapid growth in Bathgate. The new location was chosen to increase stock capacity, expand the product range, and facilitate the launch of an online store.
The break-in is under investigation.
“Around 11.30am on Wednesday, 1 January, 2025, we received a report of a break-in to and theft from a premises on Grange Road, Livingston. Enquiries are ongoing,” a Police Scotland spokesperson said.
A police-led initiative to combat retail crime in Thorne is yielding positive results, with over 15 shops now actively sharing intelligence about prolific offenders.
The Shop Watch scheme, launched in September 2024 by Doncaster East Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT), has created a robust network of retailers committed to tackling theft and criminal activity in the town.
The scheme covers Thorne town centre and Quora Retail Park, offering a platform for retailers to share real-time information about offenders.
Information shared through Thorne Shop Watch saw one persistent offender get brought into custody, with retailers in the town also using the network to share knowledge about the whereabouts of another.
“The Shop Watch scheme was set up to create a direct line of communication between ourselves and other retailers and since its inception, we've seen businesses share crucial intelligence about offenders,” Doncaster East NPT Inspector Alison Carr said.
“This helps us to track their movements and patterns of behaviour which ultimately improves our chances of arresting them and ensuring that justice is delivered.
“A joined-up approach involving as many retailers as possible really is the best way to combat retail crime as it allows us to be proactive and keep on the front foot.”
Inspector Carr urged more businesses to join the initiative.
“It's been really encouraging to see businesses in Thorne sign up to the scheme and we now just want to expand this network as much as possible across the town,” she said.
"So if you haven't already, please consider signing up to the Shop Watch scheme as it really will help us to tackle shoplifting and retail crime."
The businesses who join the Shop Watch sign up to an information sharing agreement and will receive tailored messages and warnings, including photos of known shoplifters and people of interest.
They will also be given a poster showing they are part of the scheme which they can display in their shop windows.
Diageo, maker of Johnnie Walker, Don Julio Tequila and Guinness, has unveiled its annual global trends report which reveals how and why consumers will socialise over the next year.
Based on AI analysis of over 160 million online conversations across the world, Distilled 2025 offers detailed insights into what is driving discussions globally and the current trends shaping consumer decision-making.
This year’s edition builds on the success of the inaugural Distilled report. In its first version, the study uncovered and classified five key global consumer trends: Neo-Hedonism, Conscious Wellbeing, Expanding Reality, Collective Belonging and Betterment Brands. In this year’s report, Diageo has explored how these five macro trends have evolved over the past 12 months and used them to offer new foresights into trends likely to shape consumer behaviour this year.
The report identifies that in 2025 we will see a further rise in consumers:
Practicing moderate drinking by ‘zebra striping’ - the behaviour of alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages during a single social occasion. This reflects the broader rise the report uncovered in online conversations around self-care, wellness and slower social interactions: a 79 per cent year-on-year growth in discussions around “decelerated occasions” (one of the largest increases identified) and a 37 per cent rise in discussions around ‘celebrating self-love’.
Spending more time and money on single unique products or experiences – or making the most of ‘one night only’ to create once in a lifetime memories. The report found that conversations about making the most of unique products and events have risen 83 per cent year-on-year (5.6 million conversations) alongside a 42 per cent increase in consumers talking about alternative social spaces such as virtual reality gaming lounges, hybrid physical-digital venues or pop-up bars – all offering new ways for people to connect and socialise.
Integrating AI into their daily lives: Conversations around AI-enabled relationships are up across every region globally – 83 per cent worldwide with the largest growth in Europe (96%) and North America (91%). The report explores how as AI evolves, it will likely become a more trusted aid in navigating daily choices and how this is already being seen through everyday consumer applications from banking digital assistants to fitness apps with personalised training plans and real-time health insights, transforming the relationship between consumers and brands as a result.
Seeking deeper connections in online and offline communities: The report shows a 121 per cent surge globally in discussions about connecting passionate fandoms – over 32 million conversations and the highest conversation increase identified.
“Distilled 2025 delves into the biggest trends shaping socialising this year - from the rise of the ‘zebra striping’ phenomenon to people worldwide wanting to spend their well-earned money on one incredible experience,” Cristina Diezhandino, chief marketing officer at Diageo, commented.
“People socialising goes back thousands of years and by tracking how it evolves, it helps us, and our brands, to stay deeply connected with our consumers.”
Distilled 2025 is a key component of Diageo’s Consumer Choice Framework, a methodology that helps deepen the company’s understanding of consumer motivations and ultimately shape the future of socialising by tracking long-term trends.
The report is powered by Diageo’s Foresight System - a proprietary AI-driven listening tool developed in partnership with data and insight partners Share Creative and Kantar. It combines in-depth quantitative analysis of conversations from an array of online sources including social media platforms, forums and digital media with expert foresights to provide a nuanced understanding of emerging cultural signals and consumer expressions.
The British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) has warned that disappointing footfall figures for December show mounting pressures on independent retailers, with concerning implications for 2025 as business costs continue to rise.
The latest BRC-Sensormatic IQ Footfall Monitor report revealed decreases across most retail locations:
Total UK retail footfall decreased by 2.2% (YoY)
High Street footfall decreased by 2.7% (YoY)
Shopping Centre footfall decreased by 3.3% (YoY)
Retail Park footfall remained flat at 0.0% (YoY)
"These figures paint a worrying picture of the challenges facing independent retailers," said Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira, which works with over 6,000 independent retailers of all sizes across the UK. "The decline in footfall during the crucial Christmas trading period is particularly concerning, as this is typically when retailers need to generate the revenue that will see them through the quieter months ahead."
"Looking ahead to 2025, we see little reason for optimism unless the government takes decisive action. With retailers facing increases in National Insurance contributions, National Living Wage, and business rates, many independent stores will struggle to maintain viability. We urgently call on the government to reconsider the planned business rates increase for small retailers – this could be the difference between survival and closure for many independents on our high streets."
A record number of illegal vapes have been recovered in Rotherham over last year raising concern among authorities.
According to South Yorkshire Police, the partnership work between Rotherham Central Neighbourhood Policing Team and the Council has resulted in £563,000 worth of counterfeit vapes being recovered in 2024.
After a store has been identified through local intelligence, our officers support the Council’s Trading Standards officers who use their powers to seize the vapes before overseeing the prosecution, the police stated on Sunday (5).
These products often contain contaminants which make them more harmful to a user’s health – failing to meet relevant safety standards.
Rotherham Central NPT Inspector John Crapper said, “These vapes are undercutting legitimate businesses and unfortunately sometimes find their ways into the hands of children – posing potential health risks.
“Our work to stop these unfit products from hitting the streets of Rotherham forms part of our ongoing work with Rotherham Council to ensure the safety of our local communities.
“This excellent work shows how important partnership work is. Working together on the issues that matter the most to local communities is what pushes us to achieve results like these. The hard work does not stop, and we will continue to focus on this issue.”
Rotherham Council’s Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment, Andrew Bramidge said, "As a partnership, the Council and South Yorkshire Police are committed to tackling the sale of illegal vapes. Illicit tobacco and vapes, many with added synthetic hazardous chemicals in them, can be associated with significant health problems for users, along with funding potential criminal activity.
“We will continue to work with local businesses to ensure they are complying with the law, and any retailers who continue to sell illegal products will have them confiscated and face prosecution.”