Shoplifting has become an “epidemic” in the past year, the boss of John Lewis, Dame Sharon White, has said
She told the Today programme the retailer had seen offences double over the past 12 months.
Dame Sharon said it was also “not right” that shop workers were “having to put up with abuse and attacks”.
A group of retailers, including John Lewis, have agreed to fund a police operation to crack down on shoplifting, called “Project Pegasus”.
Ten retailers will spend about £600,000 on the project, which will use CCTV pictures and data provided by the shops to get a better understanding of shoplifters’ operations.
Data on shoplifting incidents from various retailers will be collected and looked at by analysts and intelligence officers.
Dame Sharon, chairwoman of the John Lewis Partnership, said that some areas had become “shells of their former selves” due to violent attacks and repeated offenders “causing havoc” in shops.
According to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), retail thefts across the sector in England and Wales rose by 26% in 2022.
Its crime survey suggested that nearly 850 incidents were taking place every day, with staff facing physical assault and being threatened with weapons on some occasions.
