\nJohn 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.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a Policy Exchange think tank<\/a> on Tuesday (24 October), White said:\u00a0\u201cIt feels like in the last year we have moved from putting an extra six eggs in the shopping basket you haven\u2019t paid for to organised gangs shoplifting to order in a way I find profoundly shocking.\u201d<\/p>\n In August, White urged the government to clamp down on increasing levels of theft<\/a> and introduce tougher legislation as assaults on Waitrose employees have roughly doubled since 2020, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).<\/p>\n Sign up\u00a0here to get the latest grocery and food news<\/span>\u00a0each morning<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Shoplifting offenses recorded by police forces in England and Wales have also hit a record high of 1,000 a day<\/a>, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found.<\/p>\n Despite this, White added that she is yet to notice a “material impact on the ground”.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, The National Police Chiefs\u2019 Council outlined a new Retail Crime Action Plan to tackle rising levels of shoplifting<\/a>\u00a0and protect retail workers.<\/p>\n
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