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Recession blamed for increase in shoplifting
10.11.09
Shoplifting was fuelled by the recession and surged to record levels in the UK this year, according to reports today.
The value of retail goods stolen rose 20% to £4.88 billion in the year to June, a study by the Centre for Retail Research found.
The UK had the highest rate of shoplifting in Europe and only the US and Japan had higher levels worldwide.
The Global Retail Theft Barometer 2009, based on a survey of 1,069 large retailers with combined sales of £514 billion, also found more "middle-class" people were now stealing in order to maintain their standard of living rather than to sell the goods on.
Neil Matthews, vice-president of Checkpoint Systems, told the BBC: "This is epitomised in the recent uprising of the middle-class shoplifter, someone who has turned to theft to sustain their standard of living.
"This is driving theft of items such as cosmetics, perfumes and face creams, alcohol, fresh meat, mobile phones, computer games and DVDs, as well as small electrical goods like cameras, iPods and personal care gadgets."
Employee shoplifters were the most prolific, accounting for an average loss of £1,595.66 per incident in the UK, compared with £80.31 for "external" thefts, the study commissioned by Checkpoint Systems found.
The UK was the second worst, behind the Irish Republic, in Europe in the employee theft stakes, with 36.4% of all loss down to staff, according to the study.
Mr Matthews added: "The UK's retail industry has seen its largest ever increase in shoplifting over the last 12 months, and it comes at a time when the industry can least afford it..
"Retailers simply cannot afford to ignore this problem, it is not going to go away and is the equivalent of criminals taxing every UK household £227 per year."
Worldwide, the US was worst affected, losing £26.4 billion a year, while second placed Japan lost £6.03 billion.
Reader views (2)
Third behind USA and Japan. Come on Brits, we can do better than that.
- Bj, East London
"Retailers simply cannot afford to ignore this problem, it is not going to go away and is the equivalent of criminals taxing every UK household £227 per year."
How much is each household in the UK likely to be taxed to enable the bankers to trouser millions of pounds of remuneration without contributing anything to the wider economy, and is that any less a crime ?
- John, Twickenham
