A man was caught on camera stealing thousands of dollars worth of meat from a South Australian supermarket.
The incident has prompted the head of the country’s biggest private grocery chain to implement GPS tracking devices on all of its meat packs in an effort to prevent similar thefts.
According to Mr. Drake, the man, who was reportedly dressed in high-vis, was caught on camera stealing about $12,000 worth of meat from the store over 27 times.
In one of the videos, the suspect can be seen filling bags with meat before walking out without paying.
He noted that the products that were stolen were not going to be used by the people in need.
To prevent such crimes, the grocery chain has started equipping its meat packs with GPS trackers. It also regularly uploads footage of the suspects on social media.
Drake noted that he personally confronted the suspect after he tried to steal from one of the company’s outlets in Adelaide.
He said that it was not the ideal place to carry such items. Drakes is a group of 18 private companies that operate 62 supermarkets in South Australia and Queensland.
As of March 2021, the company employed over 5,000 workers.
As of March 2021, Drakes had 27 supermarkets operating under the Metcash brand.
According to government submissions, the company turned over more than a billion dollars in 2020.
According to a report released by Woolworths in 2023, the number of theft cases in supermarkets had increased. It noted that over 450 of the company’s stores had been equipped with more effective scanning technology.
According to the company’s report released in November, the rising cost of living and increasing violence and theft within its communities were some of the challenges that it faced during the financial year 2023.
However, the company was able to overcome these issues by focusing on its core business and developing new businesses.
For the financial year, its net profit was $1.62 billion, which is a 4.6 percent increase from the previous year. Its shareholder dividends also increased by nine percent.
In its annual report released in 2023, Coles noted that its losses had increased due to the rising number of customer theft and retail crime.