Retail News|April 2021|www.retailnews.ie|3
News has many previous convictions,” remarks Buckley. “We’re not deterring these people from returning and committing crimes. Punishments, whether a fine or prison sentence, have to be applied and make the person re-consider their actions.” Retailers are hampered by data protection legislation, which prevents them from sharing information about known shoplifters. “There are unfair restrictions on retailers,” Buckley continues. “Every tool at our disposal should be used to prevent crime. If it doesn’t comply with GDPR, then we need to change the law to make it apply. GDPR should not protect criminals.” Jennings suggested the Irish state look to initiatives in other jurisdictions. In Belfast, a judge recently ordered a man who allegedly raided a Boots store to be barred from all its branches. A retail crime prevention scheme in the city prevents repeat offenders from entering shops in the city centre. Retail crime is proving costly. According to the CSNA, 81% of their members invested in security in their stores within the last 12 months, including CCTV (77%), staff training (50%), cash handling and storage (39%) and external security (32%). The costs can be considerable: a fifth spent more than €20,000 on security and crime preventative measures in a year. “Every year, the sophistication of the deterrent procedures in the store - CCTV cameras, perimeter cameras, involvement of security staff, security monitoring companies - require significant investment,” said Buckley. “Retailers are constantly trying to ensure they have the most up-to-date systems in place.” Despite heightened Covid restrictions, retail crime in convenience stores and supermarkets has not abated. “Unfortunately, our members have found that the usual type of shoplifting has continued, particularly in second or third lockdowns,” continued Buckley. “On top of that, retailers must deal with aggressive and threatening behaviour by anti-maskers and people who don’t want to comply with the rules.” Vincent Jennings has noticed an increasing trend of people stealing to order. “People filling bags with high value product - worth €12 or more - and walking out the door, with the goods subsequently sold in markets and door to door. Expensive washing up liquids are being resold for drug money.” Ultimately, insists the CSNA chief, this “petty crime” is a bigger social issue that lawmakers and legislators must take seriously. “People who start off shoplifting progress to other crimes,” he says. “Mountjoy [prison] is filled with people who started off shoplifting.” Buckley concurred: “People sometimes think that shoplifting is a minor crime, but shoplifting impacts all of us. If we don’t address and manage it, we believe it leads to people getting engaged in criminality at a young age, then moving on to more significant types of crime.” Most importantly, retailers insist, the lawmakers need to acknowledge that shoplifting and abusing retail workers is a crime worthy of pursuing. “If politicians were intimidated while they were working,” said Vincent Jennings, CEO of the Jennings, “it wouldn’t CSNA. be allowed to happen.”
BWG Foods moves its training academy online BWG Foods has continued to provide vital training and upskilling for its independent retailers through the Covid-19 pandemic by reimagining its pioneering employee professional development initiative, BWG Academy, to a wholly online training and education resource. The BWG Academy, which was officially launched in 2019 just before advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, was designed to provide a wide range of self-development and support programmes for the over 23,000 retail employees across Spar, Eurospar, Londis, Mace and XL store networks. Within weeks of the official launch, Ireland slid rapidly into anti-virus restrictions and, as it became ever clearer that uncertainty surrounding the longevity of social distancing measures and that even more stringent restrictions were likely, the need to transform BWG Foods’ educational programme was embraced. Living up to its billing as an innovator, in conjunction with Retail Ireland Skillnet, BWG Foods developed a solution and training quickly pivoted to a sophisticated eLearning platform, which facilitates remote based selfdevelopment programmes. From March 2020 to date, a significant 1,272 BWG retailers and their staff have received industryrecognised qualifications Peter Donohoe, Chief from a series of courses and People Officer, BWG workshops run by the BWG Foods. Academy. The five courses that were delivered are wholly online, self-paced and very appropriate to the current trading environment as a designated essential service provider. • • • • •
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“Our retailers take their role as providers of an essential service to their communities very seriously and have continued to upskill throughout the Covid-19 pandemic by embracing our online curriculum,” noted Peter Donohoe, Chief People Officer, BWG Foods. “One of the advantages throughout this time is that they can complete their training in their own time and according to their own schedules, which are busier than ever due to the operating environment. We have worked closely with Retail Ireland Skillnet to provide their innovative and important courses to our vast network of over 1,000 stores and have been delighted with the response from our retailers and their employees.” BWG Academy will continue to operate courses and workshops on an online basis until such time as restrictions allow for a return to a more recognisable blend of online and in-person learning at the Academy’s dedicated, Dublin-based training and education centre.
