'Epidemic' of shoplifting in Britain affecting profitability of businesses

Britain is seeing an "epidemic" of shoplifting, the boss of the retailer John Lewis has said, as the owner of the Primark fashion chain joined industry calls for the authorities to crack down on the problem, saying its profit margins were suffering.

"It's become an epidemic. Sadly, in the last year we've seen twice as many offences," Sharon White, chair of the John Lewis Partnership that owns department stores and Waitrose supermarkets, told BBC Radio on Tuesday.

On Monday, White called for the UK government to set up a commission to examine the problems faced by town centres, saying they risked becoming "a looting ground for emboldened shoplifters and organised gangs."

On Tuesday, George Weston, the CEO of Primark-owner Associated British Foods, said the fashion chain had stepped up spending on security guards, CCTV and on equipping staff with body cameras to try to combat in-store theft.

"But we need to emphasise, as others have emphasised, the role of the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and magistrates in tackling this problem which is just getting steadily worse," he told Reuters news agency in an interview.

"They are doing more, but it's not enough yet."

Weston said some of the theft was "quite organised" and Primark was also seeing higher levels of anti-social behaviour.