Store staff ‘fear for their safety’, says Retail Trust boss

The Retail Trust has seen a spike in calls from retail workers “fearing for their safety” amid rioting across towns in England and Northern Ireland, according to its chief executive Chris Brook-Carter. Brook-Carter stated that the charity has seen an increase in the number of calls to its 24-hour helpline. A number of retail stores have been targeted by far-right rioters in the past few days including a Shoe Zone, Greggs, Lush and Specsavers in Hull and a Sainsbury’s Local store in Manchester. Brook-Carter said: “The Retail Trust is seeing a rise in calls from retail staff fearing for their safety following looting and vandalism in shops across the country and we are working closely with affected retailers to ensure their colleagues are getting the support they need to deal with any difficult experiences. “We know there will be many more retail workers out there with worries and concerns so we’d encourage anyone to call the Retail Trust’s 24-hour helpline on 0808 801 0808 if they need in-the-moment wellbeing support or specialist help from our counselling team following incidents of in-store violence, criminal damage or theft." It comes as the British Retail Consortium (BRC) is holding a meeting of members today (Wednesday 7 August) in response to ongoing violence. Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive, added: “Many retail workers have been heading to work fearing their stores and their safety could be compromised by the looting and vandalism that has taken grip in various parts of the country. Some are already seeing the impact, as they spend their day cleaning up the damage caused by these selfish and criminal acts. “Teams of retail colleagues across the industry work tirelessly, side by side to serve customers day in day out, performing a vital role across all local communities. This is only possible if colleagues and customers can safely visit their local stores. The full force of the law should be brought to bear on those individuals who are committing criminal damage and theft against retailers and the communities they are part of.”

Store staff ‘fear for their safety’, says Retail Trust boss

It comes as the British Retail Consortium (BRC) is holding a meeting of members today (Wednesday 7 August) in response to ongoing violence

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