John Lewis chairwoman Sharon White has said it is “not an exaggeration” to describe the rise in shoplifting as an “epidemic” as she claimed that organised gangs have been targeting John Lewis and Waitrose stores.
Speaking at a Policy Exchange think tank on Tuesday (24 October), White said: “It feels like in the last year we have moved from putting an extra six eggs in the shopping basket you haven’t paid for to organised gangs shoplifting to order in a way I find profoundly shocking.”
In August, White urged the government to clamp down on increasing levels of theft and introduce tougher legislation as assaults on Waitrose employees have roughly doubled since 2020, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning
Shoplifting offenses recorded by police forces in England and Wales have also hit a record high of 1,000 a day, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found.
Despite this, White added that she is yet to notice a “material impact on the ground”.
Earlier this week, The National Police Chiefs’ Council outlined a new Retail Crime Action Plan to tackle rising levels of shoplifting and protect retail workers.
Under the plan, a new Organised Retail Crime (ORC) capability will be formed within the Operation Opal unit, funded by Project Pegasus – a partnership between 13 retailers including John Lewis, Waitrose Co-op, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s.
2 Comments. Leave new
The aggravation from thieves was non-stop. The police were disinterested unless the thieves were violent. A thief threatened me with a knife, when I managed a Waitrose Branch. This was the final straw that prompted me to retire early.
If she had some retail experience she wouldn’t be shocked at all.