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Scottish Sun
09-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Greggs will raise prices again next week in ‘theft tax' after Sun reporters again witness brazen raiders target stores
GREGGS will raise prices again next week in a move branded a 'theft tax' — days after The Sun witnessed dozens more 'bake and take' raiders target its stores. The hikes kick in on Thursday and will see some items at the shoplifter-plagued chain, thought to include cookies and doughnuts, go up 5p. 7 Greggs will raise prices again next week in a 'theft tax' move Credit: David Dyson 7 Greggs has been battered by shoplifters up and down the country, pictured a man making a runner with some drinks and treats 7 A hunky shoplifter steals a baguette and potato wedges from Bishopsgate Greggs Sources said the chain's sausage rolls will remain at £1.30 and other bakes will also be unaffected. It comes after the price of products, including sausage rolls and bakes, rose in January following a Budget-linked jump in wage costs. Greggs blamed the latest increases on supply chain pressures, but it comes as Sun reporters witnessed dozens more thefts — one by a crook in a wheelchair. The amount of people who steal from the stores costs us thousands a week — so it wouldn't surprise me if part of the price rises is because of that A Greggs staff member The shoplifting menace is costing shops £2.2billion a year and in 2024 the number of offences topped 500,000 for the first time. One Greggs staff member told The Sun: 'The amount of people who steal from the stores costs us thousands a week — so it wouldn't surprise me if part of the price rises is because of that. 'It's not the company's fault, it's just the way things are now. Plenty of other places have had to put up prices as well.' We staked out ten Greggs stores, from Newcastle to Brighton, to watch for cases of theft and confirmed the crime is rampant. In Newcastle, the firm's home town, a man in a wheelchair rolled in and pinched a loaf of bread and a drink from a cabinet before making off without paying. In Stockwell, South London, one of Greggs most-hit stores, raiders brazenly ignored an anti-shoplifting tannoy message to nab hot food and sandwiches from fridges. Minutes later, at about 10.30am, another thief pocketed potato wedges and chicken goujons. Shocking Greggs raids exposed by secret investigation into crime spree At Bishopsgate in the City of London, thieves struck every hour. A man carrying a laptop bag swiped a pot of hot porridge at 9.30am then shuffled out unnoticed. Within 25 minutes, a down-and-out pinched hash browns, a box of doughnuts and two bottles of Coke. He tucked into his £12.50 haul just 40 yards away across the road. Barely an hour later, a thief in a beanie hat swiped a packet of sausage rolls, a bottle of Fanta, crisps and a box of doughnuts worth £9. From behind the tills, a staff member shouted a sarcastic 'Bye'. Not even bothering to look back, he replied: 'Yeah, bye.' After midday, a well-muscled man grabbed a large box of potato wedges and a chicken baguette before strutting out the store. Our photographer spotted him scoffing the lot at a bus stop. In Lewisham, South East London, three teenage girls had a two-minute chat outside about how much they should pinch. After stealing a box of wedges and leaving, one returned to take a £3 bag of cookies. Later, a woman pinched two chicken flatbreads before sprinting from the store — even though nobody was chasing her. Another thief shot our reporter a dirty look as he realised he had been seen stealing but still left without paying. On the South coast, thieves made off with armfuls of sandwiches and snacks from stores. Our footage showed two men targeting a Brighton branch. One, in a white baseball cap, lifted two sarnies from a fridge and fled. Twenty minutes later, a well-known beggar made off with a sandwich and a drink. 7 In Newcastle, a man in a wheelchair rolled in and pinched a loaf of bread and a drink from a cabinet before making off without paying 7 A brazen thief hastily exits a Greggs with his plunder, London The sole staff member serving a long line of customers was powerless to act. In nearby Worthing, two thieves pocketed drinks and wraps. Customer Amy Collins, 22, a student, said: 'You see the same people begging up the road then going to Greggs and taking sandwiches. 'They push you out the way and think they can do whatever they want. I've got barely any money and I can pay. Why can't they?' Back in the capital, in Archway to the north, a shoplifter sauntered in and stole two boxes of potato wedges with two Heinz mayo dips. Amazingly, he returned 18 minutes later for another box of wedges, this time with ketchup. A gobsmacked customer said: 'I've seen him take a fiver's worth of chips. It makes you sick.' Raj Patel, 55, who has worked in Archway for 25 years, said: 'The thieving is getting worse, but no one does anything about it. It's the same people again and again. 'The police don't do anything. I know their hands are tied for petty stuff — but they're not even here.' Graham Wynn, assistant director of business and regulation at the British Retail Consortium, said: 'Retail theft is a major issue for retailers. It costs over £2.2billion a year and acts as a major trigger for violence and abuse against staff. 'Such theft is not a victimless crime — it pushes up the cost for honest shoppers and damages the customer experience for everyone.' Despite the avalanche of offences, only a fifth result in a charge, while more than half of investigations fail to identify a suspect. Former Met Police DCI David McKelvey, who prosecutes shop thieves on behalf of High Street stores, added: 'We're seeing people steal from Greggs every single day. 'They are being targeted because thieves are able to just walk in and walk out and nothing is done.' Mr McKelvey, founder of security firm TM Eye, added: 'It goes back to this issue of there being no enforcement. The criminals think they can do whatever they like.' Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of retail industry charity the Retail Trust, said: 'Shoplifting is distressing for staff. 'It's driving up the level of verbal and physical assaults and piles extra cost pressures on retailers when they need it least. 'Almost half the retail workers we surveyed said they fear for their safety. Nearly two thirds are anxious going to work due to the unacceptable level of retail crime.' Greggs, meanwhile, confirmed prices are going up. A spokesman said: 'We have had to make small changes to the prices of some of our products due to rising costs. 'We continue to offer our customers great value, high-quality products across the entire range, maintaining our value-leading position in the food-to-go market.' Additional reporting: Sam Creed, Daniel Hammond, Stephen Moyes 7 A man in a camouflage coat strolls away with his haul in Brighton
The Independent
31-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Minimum wage increases for millions as business taxes rise
Millions of workers will receive a pay rise after the statutory minimum rate increased on Tuesday in a move unions believe will help boost economic growth. However, business groups have cautioned over the potential impact of higher wage bills and a raft of Budget-linked tax increases that have also come into force. The Government said more than three million workers across the country will benefit after the Chancellor announced the increase in her autumn budget last year. Rachel Reeves has described the change as a 'significant step' in the Government reaching their manifesto pledge of a 'genuine living wage for working people'. From Tuesday, the national living wage increased for everyone employed aged 21 and over, giving a pay rise of up to £1,400 over the course of a year, based on a 35-hour working week. Under the 6.7% rise people will be paid £12.21 an hour, 77p more than the current living wage of £11.44. Full-time workers can expect to make £26 more a week, and £117 more a month, the Government said. The national minimum wage – which covers those aged 21 or under – will go up to £10 an hour for 18 to 20-year-olds, a 16.3% rise, and to £7.55 for 16 and 17-year-olds, an 18% increase. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak told the PA news agency: 'This increase will make a real difference to the lowest paid in this country at a time when one in six are skipping meals to get by. 'Setting out a path to end the outdated and unfair youth rates will give young workers a boost up and down the country. 'More money in working people's pockets means more spend on our high streets – that's good for workers and good for local economies.' Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: 'Making work pay is vital to recharge the economy and help hard-pressed families walk a financial tightrope. 'A decent minimum wage rise gives low-paid workers greater spending power, which they can spend on their local high streets. 'That can help boost growth and get the UK back on track.' Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, said: 'A much-needed wage rise for millions of low-paid workers is welcome. 'But in care homes, schools, the NHS, and so many other employers, workers are still not getting the levels of pay they deserve. 'It's time that people doing some of the most important jobs in our society start getting proper recognition – starting with decent pay.' Campaigners pointed out that the rates were still below the voluntary so-called real living wage of £12.60 an hour and £13.85 in London, which applies to all workers aged 18 and over. More than 15,000 businesses are accredited to the Living Wage Foundation, which sets the voluntary rates. The shopworkers union Usdaw announced that its members in Asda Express, Foodservice and Leon will be paid the voluntary rate by October. Baroness Philippa Stroud, who chairs the Low Pay Commission, said: 'These rates secure a real-terms pay increase for the lowest-paid workers. 'Young workers will also see substantial increases in their pay floor, making up some of the ground lost against the adult rate over time. 'We recognise these increases come at a time when employers are facing increasing pressure and it is vital we monitor and assess how businesses are responding. 'As we build our evidence base for future recommendations to the Government, we will be launching a call for evidence in the coming weeks and holding in-person meetings up and down the country. I encourage all interested parties to get in touch with us.' Nevertheless, the rise in the minimum wage will result in higher business costs as they also swallow a number of other increases from the Chancellor's October Budget. This includes an increase in business rates for many high-street firms due to a reduction in current discounts for more than 250,000 retail, hospitality and leisure firms. These businesses currently receive a 60% discount on their business rates – the property tax on commercial businesses – bills up to a cap of £110,000. However, this discount has been reduced to 25% from Tuesday. Supermarkets, food producers and online retailers have also been hit by a new plastic packaging tax. Retailers will be liable to pay a charge, based on weight, for every item of packaging they use in the products that they sell. Later this week, the rate of employer NICs (national insurance contributions) will increase from 13.8% to 15%. At the same time, firms will also pay more because the Government lowered the threshold at which companies would start paying NICs from £9,100 to £5,000.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Minimum wage increases for millions as business taxes rise
Millions of workers will receive a pay rise after the statutory minimum rate increased on Tuesday in a move unions believe will help boost economic growth. However, business groups have cautioned over the potential impact of higher wage bills and a raft of Budget-linked tax increases that have also come into force. The Government said more than three million workers across the country will benefit after the Chancellor announced the increase in her autumn budget last year. Rachel Reeves has described the change as a 'significant step' in the Government reaching their manifesto pledge of a 'genuine living wage for working people'. From Tuesday, the national living wage increased for everyone employed aged 21 and over, giving a pay rise of up to £1,400 over the course of a year, based on a 35-hour working week. Under the 6.7% rise people will be paid £12.21 an hour, 77p more than the current living wage of £11.44. Full-time workers can expect to make £26 more a week, and £117 more a month, the Government said. The national minimum wage – which covers those aged 21 or under – will go up to £10 an hour for 18 to 20-year-olds, a 16.3% rise, and to £7.55 for 16 and 17-year-olds, an 18% increase. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak told the PA news agency: 'This increase will make a real difference to the lowest paid in this country at a time when one in six are skipping meals to get by. 'Setting out a path to end the outdated and unfair youth rates will give young workers a boost up and down the country. 'More money in working people's pockets means more spend on our high streets – that's good for workers and good for local economies.' Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: 'Making work pay is vital to recharge the economy and help hard-pressed families walk a financial tightrope. 'A decent minimum wage rise gives low-paid workers greater spending power, which they can spend on their local high streets. 'That can help boost growth and get the UK back on track.' Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, said: 'A much-needed wage rise for millions of low-paid workers is welcome. 'But in care homes, schools, the NHS, and so many other employers, workers are still not getting the levels of pay they deserve. 'It's time that people doing some of the most important jobs in our society start getting proper recognition – starting with decent pay.' Campaigners pointed out that the rates were still below the voluntary so-called real living wage of £12.60 an hour and £13.85 in London, which applies to all workers aged 18 and over. More than 15,000 businesses are accredited to the Living Wage Foundation, which sets the voluntary rates. The shopworkers union Usdaw announced that its members in Asda Express, Foodservice and Leon will be paid the voluntary rate by October. Baroness Philippa Stroud, who chairs the Low Pay Commission, said: 'These rates secure a real-terms pay increase for the lowest-paid workers. 'Young workers will also see substantial increases in their pay floor, making up some of the ground lost against the adult rate over time. 'We recognise these increases come at a time when employers are facing increasing pressure and it is vital we monitor and assess how businesses are responding. 'As we build our evidence base for future recommendations to the Government, we will be launching a call for evidence in the coming weeks and holding in-person meetings up and down the country. I encourage all interested parties to get in touch with us.' Nevertheless, the rise in the minimum wage will result in higher business costs as they also swallow a number of other increases from the Chancellor's October Budget. This includes an increase in business rates for many high-street firms due to a reduction in current discounts for more than 250,000 retail, hospitality and leisure firms. These businesses currently receive a 60% discount on their business rates – the property tax on commercial businesses – bills up to a cap of £110,000. However, this discount has been reduced to 25% from Tuesday. Supermarkets, food producers and online retailers have also been hit by a new plastic packaging tax. Retailers will be liable to pay a charge, based on weight, for every item of packaging they use in the products that they sell. Later this week, the rate of employer NICs (national insurance contributions) will increase from 13.8% to 15%. At the same time, firms will also pay more because the Government lowered the threshold at which companies would start paying NICs from £9,100 to £5,000.
