JOHN Lewis has revealed £12million of goods were stolen last year as organised criminals turned to shoplifting.
It is the latest evidence of the trend wreaking havoc on the high street.
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John Lewis Partnership chair Dame Sharon White said yesterday: “It’s a lot more organised than the odd theft. This is shoplifting to order.
“We have seen gangs going from store, to store, to store. It’s almost become a job.”
She has called the rise of shop looting an “epidemic”,
And she wants a law change in England and Wales to make shoplifting and abuse against shopworkers a more specific offence with tougher sentences, like in Scotland.
She said police north of the border were often more responsive to store crimes as a result.
Discount supermarket Lidl said it was suffering similar problems.
Chief executive Ryan McDonnell told The Sun that the grocer was rolling out more body cameras on staff after a noticeable rise in shoplifting.
He said: “It is an industry-wide issue and the biggest concern is the impact it has on our staff too and their safety.”
Shoplifting has also become glorified on social media.
Primark said this week that thieves were using TikTok to share tips on stealing and ranking their looted goods.
