ACS warns of instances of smaller stores buying stolen goods from shoplifters

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has reported that some smaller shops are buying stolen goods from professional shoplifters who work for criminal gangs, according to The Guardian. 

It comes as ACS members have experienced “very brazen and direct” incidents of shoplifting, with the typical items targeted being meat, cheese and alcohol. 

After these incidents, retailers have seen their items being resold locally or on Facebook or WhatsApp groups. 

According to ACS boss, James Lowman, other businesses – usually smaller shops – were also buying these stolen goods back. 

Lowman told The Guardian: “What we are seeing is a higher volume of theft from the same people who are professional shop thieves, often doing it to feed addiction problems. And how do they do that? Well, they resell the products. 

“We think there probably is a stronger market for those resold products, and that is something that we have been observing and talking about for the last couple of years.”

Meanwhile, CEO of the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira), Andrew Goodacre, also stated he was aware of criminal gangs getting involved in organising shoplifters for more than just meat, cheese and alcohol. 

Goodacre told The Guardian: “I think often it used to be, and it still is, items like meat and cheese. But now people are stealing pet food, pet accessories, cleaning materials, kitchen utensils, kettles, all sorts of things, depending on what’s been ordered. But also because putting a cheap kettle on Facebook Marketplace is likely to get a sale very quickly.”

The ACS revealed that as many as 5.6 million incidents of shoplifting were reported by its members over the past year, with half of the shoplifters being repeat offenders. 

In an effort to deter shoplifters, the ACS stated that convenience stores spent a total of £339m on crime prevention, such as CCTV, alarms and tagging.