Longstanding Welsh retailers and prominent members of The Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed), Vince and Fiona Malone, have once again been interviewed by BBC Newsnight, again highlighting the problems stores face as a result of retail crime.
The interview last Thursday (23 April) came on the same day the BBC was reporting major problems with illegal drug sales on the high street and the blight of rogue traders.
It also fell 18 months after the Malones were first interviewed by Newsnight in 2024, when they reported theft was causing their business in Tenby “about £26k annually, roughly £500 every week.”
Whilst they say shoplifting rates had fallen significantly since the installation of a CCTV AI tool - which cost them about £13k - Vince said they were “under no illusion that theft has stopped… there is a problem of social acceptance.”
Fiona also spoke about the challenges of confronting shoplifters and the need to challenge them “as they need to know it’s wrong – last year Vince was punched in the face and the shoplifter asked why it was wrong as shoplifting was a victimless crime.”
The Fed has continued to call for more action on shoplifting and for society to better recognise the human nature of theft because of the emotional toll it plays on retailers, whilst undermining their economic viability, leading to wider inflation in shopping costs for small businesses.
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