Several high-street retailers have fallen victim to far-right, anti-immigrant protests and widespread looting, which have been spreading across Britain over the past week. The nationwide unrest began last week in Southport, Lancashire, after the fatal stabbings of three girls attending a dance class. It escalated following misinformation on social media about the identity of the perpetrator. The worst outbreaks of violence have been in Belfast, Plymouth, and Birmingham. Nearly 400 people have been arrested.
On Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the government would take all necessary action to bring the ongoing riots to an end. We need to be calling it out for what it is. It is not protest. It is violent disorder and needs to be treated as such.
The riots have been affecting retailers, too. A Lush store in Hull, a port city on the northeast coast, was ransacked on Saturday. In another post, a picture showed two women, presumably in their mid-20s, laughing outside the store, one with a basket full of cosmetic products and the other holding several pairs of Crocs. High-street fixtures such as Greggs bakery; Iceland, the frozen food store; Sainsbury’s supermarket; Shoezone, and optical store Specsavers, fell victim as well.
Helen Dickinson, the chief executive officer of British Consortium, said many retail workers have been heading to work fearing their stores, and their safety, could be compromised by the looting and vandalism. Dickinson emphasized that the full force of the law should be brought to bear on those individuals who are committing criminal damage and theft against retailers and their communities.
At the BRC, we’re taking steps to support our members, providing a forum for retailers to discuss how to keep teams safe, protect businesses and communicate with customers. We’re also engaging with the police in order to provide information and advice to retailers, she said.
