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UK Retail Bosses Sign An Open Letter To Fight Against Shop Abuse

The BBC reported that Retail bosses have called on the prime minister to take action against violence and abuse aimed at shop staff.
Due to rise in violent, Leaders of 100 brands, including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Ikea and Aldi, have signed an open letter calling for greater legal protection for retail workers.
The Co-op reported a fourfold rise in violent crime between 2014 and 2020, and bosses say things have become even worse during the pandemic.
According to the BBC, the government said courts should be increasing sentences for such assaults.
In the letter, organised by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) which represents big chains, the leaders said the situation "cannot be allowed to get any worse".
They added there was "a clear need now for better protection in law for retail workers. Victims of abuse, threats and violence carry those experiences with them for life.”
The letter showed one business had reported a 76% increase in abuse and a 10% increase in violent attacks during the pandemic "of which over half involved a weapon, and many of our colleagues have been coughed at or spat on".
The BBC reported, citing Seb James, managing director of Boots, one of the firms to have signed the letter, as saying violence and aggression towards staff was a "big problem and it's... getting worse".
"They get death threats, they get pushed into shelving... the shoplifters react in a way which is neither normal nor in any way acceptable," he told BBC business correspondent Katy Austin.
Mr James said Boots was "very committed" to protecting staff and had recently rolled out body cams to all shop floor workers "but it's not enough".
"Whatever structures that we have in place are not enough to be a deterrent. We need to have a really good legal framework that will enable our colleagues, and people that feel tempted to behave in this way, to know where they stand," he added.
Retailers are spending record amounts on crime prevention and have invested £1.2bn in the past year, the BRC said.
Its survey of retail crime in 2019, before the pandemic, found a 7% year-on-year increase in violence and abuse to 455 cases each day.
In evidence to MPs, Joanne Cairns of trade union Usdaw outlined some of the comments reported by its members during Covid.
She said one worker was screamed at due to an out of stock item and said members of the public coughed on them as they were stacking shelves.
"I had somebody pull my mask off and call me a sheep," she reported another worker as saying. Another added: "Since the pandemic, I've had abuse nearly every day, even been coughed on twice."
Shop workers in Scotland are protected by a specific Protection of Workers Bill that makes it a specific, new criminal offence to assault, threaten, abuse, obstruct or hinder workers in shops, bars and restaurants.
Crime and policing minister Kit Malthouse said: "It is completely unacceptable to threaten or assault retail staff, not least when they are working so hard to keep vital services running, and we absolutely condemn this behaviour.
"We are putting 20,000 extra police officers into our communities to cut crime - including retail crime - and we launched the #ShopKind campaign in April to provide better support to victims and encourage customers to treat shop workers with dignity and respect.
"The Sentencing Council has set out guidelines that mean courts should be increasing sentences for assaults committed against those providing a service to the public, including shop workers."
Source: BBC
Image source: Getty Images-BBC
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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