Shoplifting costs Primark 'more than property taxes'

Shoplifting is now costing Primark more than property taxes following a surge in retail crime, the company said, calling on action from the state to "put this right".

The company said the amount it was losing as a result of theft was now larger than its £70 million business rates bill.

George Weston, the chief executive of Primark owner Associated British Foods (ABF), said, “The level of shoplifting that we are seeing in our society today continues at unacceptable levels. We do need action from the state to put this right.”

Primark laid out the cost of thefts from its high street stores as it races to curb shoplifting. New measures include installing more CCTV and giving workers body cameras. It has also started sealing carrier bags with blue “sold” stickers to try to deter people from entering stores with Primark paper carrier bags, filling them with clothes and leaving without paying.

On some high streets, Primark is working with other retailers so that they can alert each other when criminals are in the area.

Weston has previously called for magistrates and judges to take a tougher line with shoplifters to deter thieves, saying that there have been too many examples of theft not being taken seriously and those who are responsible for law and order need to help us get on top of this.

Shops across the country have been struggling to tackle a surge in shoplifting in recent years. Offences rose to 443,995 in the year to March 2024, official figures show, up more than 100,000 on the previous 12 months.

Weston's statement comes days after Iceland boss Richard Walker condemned data protection laws that prevent retailers from circulating CCTV images of shoplifters caught in the act.

He said that he had told employees to post such images from Iceland’s 1,000 UK stores on high street WhatsApp groups, regardless of the law as it stands. Iceland, he said, would “take the rap” if they were prosecuted.

“We are fighting with one hand tied behind our backs,” he recently said in a podcast. “When these images are on your CCTV … it’s absolutely proven. There’s no denying. You watch someone pick something up, put it under their coat or whatever they do, and walk out or become aggressive to store staff if they’re stopped.

“Obviously you’d like to absolutely share those images. I’ve told my colleagues to do it anyway and I take the rap if there’s a problem. It’s a stupid law.”

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