Shopkeepers should not “suffer in silence” and report all instances of retail crime to police, a senior industry figure has said.
Dr Jason Wouhra, chief executive of Lioncroft Wholesale and chair of Unitas, says official crime survey figures, which put the number of shoplifting incidents at 530,642 in the 12 months to March 2025 are “terrifying”, and that the convenience sector, which includes forecourts, is “fast approaching crisis point”.
That official data pales into comparison with industry figures, however, with the Association of Convenience Stores estimating the true number of shoplifting incidents stood at 6.2 million over the same period, with industry being hit by losses of £2.2bn as a result of crime.
In an open letter to retailers, Dr Wouhra cites the recent success West Midlands Police has had following a change to how it handles reports from shopkeepers, with the force logging a 60% rise in shop arrests, and a 235% increase in the number of offenders being charged, cautioned or given community resolutions over the past two years.
“Not only does retail theft often lead to violence and abuse towards retail staff” Dr Wouhra says, “but family-run retail businesses are already under incredible pressure to meet rising costs simply to open their stores and stock their shelves, and they cannot continue to absorb these losses.”
