Shoplifters Are ‘Emboldened’ as Grab-and-Go Phenomenon Hits UK Stores

Retail experts say there is evidence of a black market in meat and cheese

A sign warning shoplifters, outside a branch of Boots the chemist in west London on Sep. 5, 2023. Chris Summers/The Epoch Times

Shoplifters are “emboldened” and are increasingly being co-ordinated by organised criminals who are stealing to order, often in so-called grab-and-go raids, and feeding a black market in everything from cheese and meat to luxury goods, according to two leading retail organisations.

Andrew Goodacre, CEO of the British Independent Retailers Association, said, “In the past, shop theft has been dominated by people who have probably got unfortunately chaotic lives, some sort of dependency on drugs and alcohol, and shoplifting has been a way of sourcing that addiction.”