Victoria on Brink of Retail Chaos: Supermarket Chain Threatens to Close Stores Amid Soaring Violence and Aggression
- Ritchies IGA chief executive Fred Harrison warns of “crisis point” in retail crime, with staff facing unprecedented levels of violence and aggression.
- Bunnings and Woolworths introduce body-worn cameras and tactical guards to combat rising tide of violent incidents.
- Australian Retailers Association calls for nationwide introduction of workplace protection orders to stop repeat offenders.
Fred Harrison, the chief executive of Ritchies IGA, has sounded the alarm on the escalating crisis of retail violence in Victoria, warning that the supermarket chain may be forced to close stores due to the soaring levels of aggression and violence against staff.
“It’s getting to a point now where [at] a number of our stores, you’ve got to question when leases come up, do we want to remain in this area? Do we want to remain in this store?” Harrison told 7.30. “Is it all-round more profitable, safer if we just close and walk away?”
The crisis is not limited to Ritchies IGA, with Bunnings and Woolworths also introducing measures to combat the rising tide of violent incidents. Olivia, a Bunnings store manager, revealed that the introduction of body-worn cameras and tactical guards had acted as a disincentive to would-be thieves, resulting in fewer violent and aggressive incidents.
“We had a point where we had local gangs coming into the store. They would enter through different entry and exit points,” Olivia said. “We could see that it was very organised retail crime. They would come on a very regular basis as well with weapons and just walk straight out of our store with lawnmowers, barbecues, hot water services.”
The Australian Retailers Association is calling for the nationwide introduction of workplace protection orders, which have already led to a fall in retail crime in the ACT. Chris Rodwell, the association’s CEO, said that the data confirmed what retailers saw every day: “We’re deeply concerned about retail crime across Australia. There’s been 800,000 incidents in the past year and that’s rising and in some states, it’s surging.”
Sarah Faorlin, the head of Acts of Violence and Aggression at Woolworths, said that the company had seen a significant increase in violence and aggression against staff, with over 6,000 incidents reported last year. “It’s an escalating issue, one that we see right across the country,” she said.
Recent crime data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics has confirmed that retail crime is on the rise across Australia, with Victoria being the worst-offending state. The data shows that theft reached a national 21-year high last year, with 595,660 victims of personal and retail theft recorded by police – a 6 per cent increase from the previous year.