A report based on data from 300 stores around Aotearoa shows that retail crime has increased by 59% over the past year.

Serious incidents reported by Foodstuffs stores such as assault, robbery and burglary have more than doubled year on year, and are already up 13% on the last quarter of 2023.

Repeat offenders were involved in over a third of all incidents, and the number of incidents they committed grew by 44% to 1862 across the North Island’s New World, Pak’nSave and Four Square stores.

Assaults in store are increasing, with 54 separate attacks, mostly on frontline staff, in the last three months alone – up from 39 in the previous quarter, and 16 in the same period in 2022.

Shoplifting accounted for three-quarters of all offences, and was up 78% year-on-year.

More to come.