Retailers warned shoplifting could jump +26% ahead of Quarter Final fixture.
As England’s World Cup win against Mexico prompts +16% rise in retail theft, retailers warned shoplifting could jump +26% ahead of Quarter Final fixture.
Instances of retail theft jumped +16% in the lead-up to England’s World Cup match with Mexico (Mon, 06 Jul), according to new figures released by SAI, the leading active intelligence solution for stores.
Data from its SAI One Platform, which analyses insight from more than 1,000 UK retail locations and inputs from over 20,000 cameras every day, showed that shoplifting peaked at 12 noon, with packaged snacks and food goods among the most stolen items. The Southeast was the biggest crime hotspot, seeing the biggest rises in retail theft, up +27%, while crime in the London rose +12%.
With England’s late-night game culminating in heated scenes at The Azteca, pre-match tensions had also bubbled over into stores, with a +5% rise in violent incidents being reported on Sunday. With fans stocking up ahead of the fixture against Mexico, which started at 2am after weather forced a delayed kick-off, operational burden in bricks-and-mortar stores also rose, with triggers increasing +6% on the Sunday average.
To date, across all of England’s World Cup games, instances of crime, including shoplifting, violence and abuse taking place in-store, jumped +11% on average in the run-up to each of the Three Lions’ fixtures.
“England heading to a Quarter Final usually spells penalties on the pitch, however retailers are facing their own World Cup-related penalties in-store,” said Chris Bell, Head of Marketing & Insight at SAI. “As the Three Lions’ success drives rising footfall, fan excitement and heightened emotions, stores are seeing theft and crime rates climb at a time when many are looking to capitalise on the revenue opportunities the tournament presents.”
| Impact on stores
(vs daily average) |
Shoplifting | Violence | Operational burden |
| England vs Mexico
Round 16 (Mon, 06 Jul) Won, 3 – 2 |
+16% |
+5% |
+6% |
| England vs DR Congo
Round 32 (Wed, 01 Jul) Won, 2 – 1 |
+24% |
+5% |
+9% |
| England vs Panama
Group (Sat, 27 Jun) Won, 2 – 0 |
+17% |
+5% |
+8% |
| England vs Ghana
Group (Tue, 23 Jun) Drew, 0 – 0 |
+7% |
0% |
+2% |
| England vs Croatia
Group (Wed, 17 Jun) Won, 4 – 2 |
+6% |
+20% |
+5% |
Shoplifting to spike +26% ahead of England’s Quarter Final clash with Norway
Shoplifting incidents are expected to rise by +26% ahead of the Three Lions’ Quarter Final clash with Norway (Sat, 11 Jul), according to forecasts from the SAI One Platform.
Retailers located near fan zones, as well as convenience stores, are among those predicted to experience the biggest uptick in crime-related incidents.
“England’s World Cup success is proving to be a double-edged sword for retailers. As the Three Lions’ run gathers momentum, the same excitement driving footfall and sales opportunities is also creating the perfect conditions for theft, violence and store disruption,” Bell continued. “This means retailers will need to ensure their operations are match-fit, enabling them to pre-empt and react quickly to issues in-store to ensure the safety of customers and colleagues.”
