HomeBangladeshPoundland announces major change to 800 UK stores and says 'enough is...

Poundland announces major change to 800 UK stores and says ‘enough is enough’

-

Poundland is making a huge change to its stores as it launches a new campaign to tackle shoplifting.

Today, the discount high street chain launched its “Against Retail Crime” initiative as part of its ongoing efforts to address increasing shop theft and abuse and harassment of retail staff. As part of the initiative, Poundland said it was investing “significantly” in security enhancement for its 800 UK store estate.

Store staff will soon wear communication headsets to communicate quickly when incidents occur. Following a successful trial across its estate, the retailer is also now rolling out Motorola Solutions VT100 body cameras to the stores with the “most significant crime” issues. Poundland says the cameras provide a visual deterrent for offenders and record incidents. They have also helped decrease violence against Poundland workers by 11% and shoplifting and theft by a “marked reduction”.

Poundland is also giving its contracted security teams the backing to detain suspected offenders in stores and will employ more undercover guards. The retailer says it is working closely with local enforcement agencies and police forces and will receive support from undercover officers and will share CCTV to aid prosecution.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported in its latest Crime Survey that UK shop workers now face 1,300 incidents of violence and abuse every day, up 50% on the previous year.

Poundland’s head of loss prevention Christina Jesty said: “The rate of store theft and colleague abuse has accelerated significantly across our stores in the last 18 months, and this has been very challenging for our people. Whether it’s store theft undermining all our colleagues’ hard work, or incidents of violence and abuse making our colleagues feel unsafe at work, something must change.

“At Poundland, we pride ourselves on being a value-led high street retailer, where protecting our colleagues goes hand in hand with protecting our prices. That is why we’re saying enough is enough and beginning a campaign to support our front-line teams and crack down on retail crime across our stores.”

Get our money-saving tips and top offers direct to your inbox with the Mirror Money newsletter

LATEST POSTS

Loose Women confirm special episode as ITV show celebrates huge milestone

ITV is set to celebrate a milestone with a special edition of Loose Women airing in late January, commemorating the network's 70th year since...

Tony Slattery predicted own death five years before tragic heart attack

Have I Got News For You star, Tony Slattery, predicted his death five years before his tragic heart attack.The much-loved comic's partner, Michael Mark Hutchinson,...

‘My husband wants to divorce me over what I did at a brunch event’

A woman has been threatened with divorce after her husband was left furious over her actions at a brunch event. The 30-year-old woman went to...

Woman who dedicated life to crafting ultimate baby name list shares ‘cool’ options

Expecting a baby and still undecided on names? Or just musing over future family plans?A woman who has dedicated her life to crafting a list...

LATEST ARTICLES