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Grants of up to £100,000 made available to boost Cornish High Streets

7 Nov 2023

Communities across Cornwall can now apply for grants of up to £100,000 to improve High Streets, the council has said.
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Warwickshire County Council launches campaign to promote Christmas shopping at independent businesses

6 Nov 2023

A Christmas campaign encouraging Warwickshire’s independent town businesses to shout about why shoppers should buy from them this year is making a comeback.
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The Times names prettiest towns for indie Christmas shopping

6 Nov 2023

With just over six weeks until Christmas, The Times has named what it says are the seven prettiest towns in the UK for Christmas shopping, making special mention of the presence of independent... Read more…

Cardmitment campaign launched to remind people of the power of sending greetings cards

23 Oct 2023

Cardmitment campaign launched to remind people of the power of sending greetings cards
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New guides welcome on how to make shops more accessible for the elderly

23 Oct 2023

The International Longevity Centre has released new guides to show the steps retailers need to take to make their shops more accessible for the elderly.
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Bristol sandwich shop named best in the UK

23 Oct 2023

Family-run Bristol sandwich shop Sandwich Sandwich has been named best in the UK at the UberEats awards.
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Convenience stores to trial UK’s first digital proof of age card

23 Oct 2023

Convenience stores are set to be part of a testing programme for the UK’s first digital proof of age card.
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Police deploying facial recognition technology to target shoplifters and other retail criminals

23 Oct 2023

“Game-changing” facial recognition technology is targeting prolific retail criminals, including shoplifters.
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Prime Minister's Funding Injection for Left-Behind Towns Welcomed by Bira

10 Oct 2023

British Independent Retail Association (Bira) acknowledges the Government's investment in towns across the UK.
 
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Indie retailers say policing minister’s citizen’s arrest solution to retail crime is ‘high risk’

9 Oct 2023

Policing minister Chris Philp has encouraged shop workers to make ‘citizen’s arrests’ on shoplifters, a message branded as ‘dangerous and irresponsible’  by... Read more…

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Stats show independents are easier target for shoplifters

Posted on in Business News, Cycles News, Creative News, Outdoor News

Shoplifters are four times less likely to get caught when they target independent stores compared to larger ones, an investigation by Retail Express has found.

Analysis of more than 10,000 shoplifting cases from 21 police authorities showed only one in five independent convenience store shoplifters are ever identified by the police and just 6% are ever charged or convicted, compared to 15% in multiple-owned convenience stores.

Police officers and security experts told Retail Express that the gap was down to the quality of CCTV, staff awareness and reporting.

Retail security expert Darren Wood from international security consultants, Cundall, told Retail Express: "Chain retailers develop and implement a security culture within their businesses to ensure staff are more vigilant and aware of shoplifters within their stores. They also deploy extensive video surveillance solutions."

A retailer survey by Retail Express also uncovered that only two in five independent stores report every occurrence of shoplifting. Asked why this could be, Catch a Thief founder Farrah McNutt told Retail Express: "We always encourage retailers to report every crime, every time, but some think it's not worth their while.

"When they take the time to send over all the footage and all the information and still the suspect isn't identified, it can be really upsetting."

Even when a crime is reported, Retail Express found that in nearly 9% of cases, retailers refused to press charges or co-operate with the police.

For Manchester retailer Sunita Kanji, shoplifters are a "daily occurrence" in her Family Shopper store in Little Hulton. She said: "When we get the police involved it's very time consuming giving a statement and providing CCTV evidence, then nothing happens. It seems like it's irrelevant."

Even though the chances of prosecution are slim, the National Business Crime Centre said reporting every incident is the only way to make sure the police commit the right amount of resources to tackling shoplifting. It also recommended independent that independent retailers ensure CCTV footage is of a good quality and report incidents immediately to close the gap between independents and multiples.

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