Shoplifting news and archive

Retail crime in England and Wales hits 20-year high

Shoplifting in England and Wales has surged to its highest level in over two decades, according to the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). In the year to March 2025, police recorded over 530,000 shoplifting offences, a 20 percent increase on the previous year and the highest number since current recording methods...

Member

Retail

California strengthens retail crime laws in boost for fashion retailers

California has enacted sweeping legislation to combat retail theft, introducing measures that could provide significant relief for fashion retailers operating in the state. The comprehensive package, which took effect January 1st, represents the most substantial reform of its kind in the state's modern history. Key provisions include the ability...

Retail

NRF: Shoplifting figures see sharp increase on pre-Covid levels

A new report by the US’ National Retail Federation (NRF) has documented a concerning increase in shoplifting incidents in 2023 compared to that of pre-Covid levels. According to the organisation’s ‘The Impact of Retail Theft & Violence 2024’ study, there was a 93 percent increase in the average number of reported shoplifting incidents last year...

Featured

Retail

Retail fraud surges in UK, costing businesses millions

A rise in retail fraud has hit UK businesses hard in the first half of 2024, according to a recent report by payments specialist Dojo. The company's analysis of data from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) reveals a staggering 545 percent increase in reported cases compared to the same period in 2023. The financial impact has been...

Retail

UK retailers call for widespread adoption of Scottish retail protection laws

Following a significant uptick in retail theft and crime, UK retailers are now calling on the rest of the region to more widely adopt laws to protect retail workers akin to those that have already been put into place in Scotland. The Protection of Workers Act was brought into force by Daniel Johnson, of Scottish Labour, and created a new...

Retail

New York City to crack down on retail theft through new task force

A new task force launched by Mayor Eric Adams is looking to tackle the rising issue of retail theft across New York City after reported cases of shoplifting rose 44 percent between 2021 and 2022. The task force, made up of elected officials and led by deputy mayor for public safety Philip Banks III, will advise the Adams administration on...

Retail

UK Police to unveil “zero-tolerance” shoplifting plan

Ministers, law enforcement, and retailers are collaborating to implement a robust "zero-tolerance" strategy targeting the pervasive issue of shoplifting. Law enforcement authorities, in a summit at Downing Street, will outline their plan to combat shoplifting, which occurs over 1,000 times daily. Retail industry leaders have criticized the...

Retail

Is the retail industry entering a pandemic of shoplifting?

Retail sales in September declined by 0.9 percent, while shoplifting incidents surged, with reported offenses spiking by 25 percent in the past year, totaling eight million incidents. The British Retail Consortium reported losses amounting to 1 billion pounds due to this trend. Over the year leading to June, the police recorded 365,164...

FeaturedMember

Retail

Project Pegasus: John Lewis and Next among those joining crackdown on shoplifting

As the UK continues to battle on through its cost-of-living crisis, an increasingly prominent offset of the financial crunch has become front of mind for many retailers in the region. Shoplifting and retail theft is up 27 percent across 10 of the largest cities in the UK, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), which had been calling...