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Co-op Food boss Matt Wood has “lashed out” at supermarket profiteering claims amid a surge in crime at the group’s stores, The Telegraph has reported.
Hood claimed that shoplifters were able to “overrun” retailers without facing consequences, and warned that people were defending their actions after MPs accused supermarkets of inflating prices and profiteering.
It comes as Co-op recently released new findings that showed retail crime has soared to “record” levels, with repeat offenders and criminal gangs operating with little consequences.
The retailer said it has seen crime, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour surge 35% year-on-year, with more than 175,000 incidents recorded in the first six months of this year, equating to almost 1,000 incidents every day.
The group warned that this level of “out-of-control” crime is unsustainable and could see some communities become “no-go areas” for local stores.
Hood told The Telegraph: “I was reading some of the comments when we’ve spoken about shoplifting being on the rise and people were saying ‘well, they are making so much money, so what difference does it make?’
“What drives me insane is the amount of people who want to claim it is victimless. Tell me, if that was your child working in that shop, would you say it is a victimless crime because it is fundamentally not.”
Hood also warned that this rise in crime could dissuade people from working in retail. He added that if wages needed to be increased amid staff shortages if this were to happen, this could lead to higher prices in-store.
He said: “If it continues as it is at the moment, it’s going to be an industry that becomes hard for us to bring people into.”
He added that suggestions that crime in stores has risen due to families being unable to afford groceries was false, and that instead “it’s fundamentally because people are using baby formula to cut drugs. They’re using it for organised crime”.
