Rich pickings for shoplifters but retailers are fighting back

Shops are beefing up security to deal with the seasonal thieving. Photo/Thinkstock.

Shops are beefing up security measures to battle the trend of seasonal thieving.

Shoplifting, which is estimated to cost New Zealand retailers hundreds of millions of dollars each year, increases over the festive season as people crowd into shops to do their Christmas shopping.

According to the New Zealand Retailers Association, meat, cheese and chocolate are among the most popular loot.

Christmas shoplifting started to increase from November onwards. Retailers Association northern regional manager Russell Sinclair said stores increased security measures about this time of the year to deal with the problem.

Opportunistic thefts became more common because more people were visiting shops, and staff were often busy attending to customers, he said.

Farmers, one of New Zealand's largest department store chains, said like many other retailers, shoplifting incidents in its stores increased in the countdown to Christmas.

The number of security staff at every Farmers store was increased during the festive season, spokesman Nathan Breed said.

The Food and Grocery Council said feedback from its members indicated "high-value" grocery items such as cosmetics, batteries and men's shaving razors were often targeted by shoplifters.

Items which were easy to trade and on-sell tended to be popular among thieves, council chief executive Katherine Rich said.

An international survey from 2011 showed that in addition to shaving products, perfume and clothes were among the most shoplifted items.

Foodstuffs, which owns Pak'n Save and New World, said the volume of shoplifting "ebbs and flows" throughout the year.

"We are mindful some people look for opportune chances to steal goods while others are more premeditated, regardless of their financial circumstances," the company's North Island retail general manager, Rob Chemaly, said.

Penalties for shoplifting range, depending on the age of the offender, their criminal history and the value of items stolen. Stealing goods worth more than $300 can result in a prison sentence of up to seven years, according Citizens Advice Bureau.