Wiltshire business beefs up security as retail crime rampant across the UK
Data from NFU Mutual revealed the average cost of retail crime is £60k
Last updated 12th Apr 2024
A Wiltshire department and furniture store has spoken of how theft from it's stores is costing thousands in both stock loss and prevention.
Over the last seven years, Bradbeers, who recently opened it's latest store in Salisbury, have seen thousands of pounds worth of stock stolen and spend almost as much attempting to deter thieves.
In December, thieves broke into a Bradbeers store to steal men's stock by smashing a toughed window.
Bradbeers' Mark Hall said the impacts last longer than the day it happens.
“The problem isn’t just the stock loss but it’s the whole process afterwards – getting the glass cleared, boarding up and re-securing, police reporting and forensics, quotations for repairs, alarm resetting – it is a time-consuming process," he said.
An issue rampant across the UK
Retail crime is not an issue limited to Bradbeers, with the issue reflected across the nation.
New figures released by insurance company NFU Mutual shows retailers are taking desperate measures to combat an alarming rise in theft and violence.
Their research found almost three-quarters of retailers have been impact by crime in the last 12 months - at an average cost of £60,000 in that period.
A startling one in 20 retailers had lost half a million pounds in the last year.
Theft of goods from shopfloor or stockroom was the most common crime suffered (48%), ahead of verbal or physical assault against staff and customers (38%), overnight theft (23%), criminal damage (20%) and theft of money from tills or safe (13%).
It's more than just money lost
In an effort to protect their businesses, two-thirds of retailers have been forced to increase security measures in the last year, including physical and technological protection.
A quarter of businesses have employed full-time security with more than half (66%) installing CCTV, with Bradbeers among those to have installed CCTV. Mr Hall said: "We have certainly seen the benefit of the investments we have made to minimise incidents.”
And the loss goes beyond financial with more than a third of retailers (37%) saying it’s impacted their mental health and three in 10 admitting they live in fear of theft or violence on their store.
Zoe Knight from NFU said the number of retailers being victims of crime is concerning.
"With retailers on average suffering losses of around £60,000 a year as a result of theft, the results of this survey will concern the industry.
“And the impact of this ongoing crime wave clearly extends way beyond a cost perspective, with a worrying number saying incidents have had a negative impact on their mental health and others constantly living in fear they will be targeted.
“What is clear, and important to see, is people are making a huge effort to protect their stock, staff and premises. While it does come at a cost, we would urge all retailers to do everything they can to deter thieves to feel as protected and supported as they can, should the worst happen.”
Advice offered to retailers
NFU Mutual has issued guidance to business owners to protect their stores from shoplifting and break-ins.
NFU Mutual Risk Management Services’ advice for retailers to protect against shoplifting:
• Use customer service as a tool to deter thieves – greeting them lets them know they have been acknowledged and may deter them as they have been identified
• Make sure store layouts are organised and tidy, placing high-value or items which are more desirable for thieves in monitorable areas. Consider adding mirrors to the store to reduce blind spots
• If possible, limit the number of high value items on display and secure remaining stock within a robust, lockable area
• Train staff to recognise shoplifting tactics and ensure they know how to keep themselves safe from the risk of violence
• Consider displaying signage in-store notifying thieves that they will be prosecuted
• Try to minimise cash takings and use counter caches to deposit cash during opening hours. Install a good quality compliant safe which is fixed in place and preferably kept in an alarm protected area
NFU Mutual Risk Management Services’ advice for retailers to protect against break-ins:
• Ensure all doors and windows have good quality locks (to BS3621) which cannot be opened from the outside or from the inside without the use of a key
• Always keep keys to doors, windows, and safes, in a secure location. Always remove them from your premises outside of business hours and limit their distribution amongst managers or staff.
• Consider investing in good shutters, grilles and bars on doors and windows.
• If investing in an intruder alarm, ensure it is installed by a NSI or SSAIB approved company, compliant to EN1350-1 and provides remote signalling to an alarm receiving centre
• If investing in surveillance (CCTV) ensure it provides good quality images, is recorded to the cloud with links to mobiles and/or remote monitoring, and meets requirements of GDPR
• Be aware of cyber threats and make sure you have cyber insurance in place should the worst happen
• Consider hiring data protection specialists to provide ongoing security of your data
• Have a robust policy in place for responding to intruder alarm activations - i.e. don't let a keyholder turn up on their own
Bradbeers story in full
For Bradbeers Department Store, the issue of theft has been a problem which has cost thousands in both stock loss and prevention.
Over the last seven years, Bradbeers – which has five department and furniture stores in Hampshire and Wiltshire – has seen thousands of pounds worth of stock stolen and thousands of pounds spent on various deterrents.
A family-owned, independent retailer, Bradbeers stocks male and female clothing brands including Barbour, Gant, Joules, Ben Sherman, Hobbs and Phase Eight, while also selling high-end fragrance and beauty products, fashion accessories and homewares.
The most recent incident in December saw thieves smash through a toughened window in the early hours of the morning and make their way to steal men’s stock, including Gant and Barbour.
“Staff are called, and police alerted by the alarm monitoring company as soon as an incident happens, which can be at any time of the night,” Mark Hall, Bradbeers’ Property and Procurement Manager, said.
“The problem isn’t just the stock loss but it’s the whole process afterwards – getting the glass cleared, boarding up and re-securing, police reporting and forensics, quotations for repairs, alarm resetting – it is a time-consuming process.
“Attempted theft in our geographical area has been on the increase from what we have noticed. It could well be to do with the cost of living with thieves trying to get expensive goods they can then sell on easily – some stock has been recovered by police, but it’s often been the sort of items that criminals can move on fairly quickly, that never get found.”
A further incident in December last year highlighted another increasing issue in the industry – violence towards staff, as thieves engaged in an altercation with shop workers who tried to stop them from stealing vacuum cleaners.
“It was an afternoon incident and thieves took four vacuum cleaners and tried to run out with them,” said Mark. “Two of our female members of staff managed to recover some items after trying to fight them off.
“Staff safety is paramount, but sometimes the adrenaline kicks in. We are an independent, family business and people that work here feel upset that others would come in and try to steal from us.”
The company has installed metal roller shutter doors and smoke cloak fogging devices among a host of other protection measures, and extensive CCTV which has proved useful to police in identifying perpetrators.
“It really is a big issue and not just for us, but for the retail sector as a whole,” said Mark. “However, we have certainly seen the benefit of the investments we have made to minimise incidents.”