ASDA price bargains don't stop shoplifters
It may be famed for its Asda price bargains, but even that has not stopped shoplifters targeting the chain's stores more than 900 times over the past three years in the Black Country and Staffordshire.
Branches of the supermarket have been targeted the most by thieves in the region between 2010 and 2013 – with a total of 906 thefts recorded, new figures reveal. There were 310 thefts reported in Wolverhampton alone, while there were 219 in Cannock and 191 in Stafford.
Pharmacy chain Boots was another target for thieves, with stores hit 755 times in the same period. The shop was the prime victim in Walsall with 224 thefts, Merry Hill Centre with 155 and West Bromwich with 97.
Asda on Jack Hayward Way in Wolverhampton was the prime spot for shoplifters in the Black Country. Primark in the city centre was the second highest in Wolverhampton, targeted 171 times. Third was Boots in Dudley Street with 142 thefts.
Asda spokesman Andy Devoy defended the supermarket's record. He said: "We welcomed more than 10 million customers to our stores in Wolverhampton and Cannock over the past three years, yet instances of shoplifting are minimal. However, we do take the matter extremely seriously following up every incident with the police."
In Walsall, it was Boots in Park Street which was hit most by thieves. Second was TK Maxx at Crown Wharf in the town centre (209). This was followed by Asda in High Street, Bloxwich (186).
Boots was also a target for shoplifters in Sandwell. Branches in Queen Square, West Bromwich and Great Bridge Retail Park were popular with thieves. Most thefts in Dudley occurred at stores in Merry Hill. Boots was the number one for thefts – 155 – second was Debenhams (149).
Figures from Staffordshire Police showed Asda was the number one target for shoplifters in Cannock's Avon Road Store and Stafford's Queensway store. Boots in Church Street was the second most frequently targeted store in Cannock with 137 thefts. In Stafford, Tesco in Newport Road was second worst with 147 offences recorded.
A Boots spokeswoman said: "We actively work with the police and local authorities and proactively report these offences."
West Midlands Police Superintendent Keith Fraser urged members of the public to report people suspected of shoplifting.
He added: "Some people think of shoplifting as a 'victimless' crime but the impact it has on everyone should not be underestimated. These offences can have a detrimental and long lasting impact on staff who work in shops and stores who are threatened or subject to physical violence.""
