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.”
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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.
