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NEWS

1 NOVEMBER 2024 ASIAN TRADER 5

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A gang of shoplifters,

responsible for the theft

of at least £73,000 worth

goods, runs its profes-

sional “maﬁ a-style”

operation like a serious

business, stated a recent

report.

Dubbed the “cham-

pagne gang” by National

Business Crime Solution

(NBCS), an organisation

which works with 100

businesses to tackle retail

crime, the gang originates

from Romania and is said to

be responsible for 60

shoplifting incidents across

the UK, from Gateshead to

Bournemouth.

The reports detailed how

during the heists, the gang

members wear blue tooth

headsets to communicate

and warn each other if

security guards are watching

them. They operate on

similar models- one member

will casually walk down

alcohol aisle scanning bottles

while the other member

deliberately set of the

security alarm to distract

staf .

Other members make

the best of the confusion

and simply walk out of the

store with their stolen

goods.

They came onto the

NBCS’s radar in early 2023

and have since started

stealing other types of

alcohol and meat to serve

changing demand. The group

also changes tactics when

new technology arrives that

might impede their opera-

tion.

‘Maﬁ a-style’ Romanian gang

behind £73,000 crime spree

Bounty’s at Booker – the

must-have bottle for your

booze shelf

Nick Gillett is

Co-founder and

Managing

Director of

successful spirits

distributor Mangrove Global, as

well as an industry expert and

commentator. In his column for

this issue, Nick mixes it up with a

terriﬁ c recipe that uses one of

this season’s hot brands

I’m always harping on about mixing up

your range with a few new bottles each

season. And thanks to premiumisation

(the trend that sees customers buying

more expensive booze) there’s a

decent chance a pricier bottle is going

to sell.

For those of you who use Booker,

you’ll know how great it is for picking up

something fresh to try on your illustrious

spirits shelf. It’s quick, it’s convenient,

and now it stocks a spirit – Bounty –

which is making waves across the UK

rum scene.

Fresh of the back of a stunning

display at Notting Hill Carnival, Saint

Lucia’s most famous export is a

deliciously drinkable range – and its

Coconut and Gold varieties are now

available at selected Booker branches.

As a category, rum is going nowhere.

We’re long past the “rum boom” and it’s

still a thriving sector with heaps of

innovation and quality brands a-plenty.

But what we’re beginning to see is a

move back to basics. Customers want

provenance and quality in their liquids,

and I’d argue that Caribbean-produced

rums, such as Bounty, are the perfect

bottles to quench that thirst.

Once you’ve bought your bottles of

Bounty, make sure you have the right

mixers. The Saint Lucians enjoy it simply

poured over coke with ice, or you can

create a bundle with Ginger Ale and

upsell the “Saint Lucian Mule” a simple

and spicy cocktail for Autumn:

Ingredients:

60ml Bounty Gold

100ml Ginger Ale

1/4 lime

Method:

Mix all ingredients in an ice-ﬁ lled glass,

squeeze the lime and stir softly with a

bar spoon. Enjoy!

Independent retailers across

the UK are facing stubborn

levels of retail crime and

alarmingly more retailers are

choosing not to report

incidents of theft, verbal and

physical abuse to police,

according to the latest survey

conducted by the British

Independent Retailers

Association (Bira).

The third bi-annual Retail

Crime Survey, completed in

September 2024, reveals a

concerning picture of escalat-

ing theft, persistent verbal

abuse, and a worrying uptick

in physical assaults on staf .

Bira, which works with

over 6,000 independent

businesses of all sizes across

the UK, found that 78.79% of

businesses that had experi-

enced theft in the past 12

months reported that the

frequency or severity of theft

incidents had increased.

However, the survey did

reveal that shop theft had

reduced slightly in the past

year, from 86.25% in Septem-

ber 2023 and 79.27per cent in

March 2024 to 72.83% this

autumn.

Andrew Goodacre, CEO of

Bira, commented on the

ﬁ ndings and said, “The results

of our third crime survey in 18

months are deeply troubling.

We’re seeing a sustained

increase in criminal activity,

coupled with reduced police

response. Our members are

caught in the crossﬁ re, and it’s

clear that current measures

are failing to protect them.”

The Police response

remains inadequate. While

52.8% of reported thefts were

attended by police in both

surveys, 25% of reported

thefts resulted in no police

attendance ever, a slight

decrease from 27% in the

previous survey, but still a

signiﬁ cant concern. Moreover,

there was an increase in thefts

not being reported to police,

rising from 42.86% (March

2024) to 47.06% (as at

September 2024).

Recent spike in criminal activity has exhausted patience

Retailers have ﬁ nally ‘lost

faith in police’, law and order

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NEWS/COMMENT

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