John Lewis boss Sharon White has branded UK high streets as “looting grounds” for criminal gangs as she calls on the government to review the current state of town centres.
In a letter to The Telegraph, the chairwoman said local high streets were being destroyed by the rise in shoplifting and antisocial behaviour, encouraged by years of shop closures that have left many town centres littered with “seemingly endless” rows of charity shops and boarded up storefronts.
White has called on ministers to set up a Royal Commission to review the health of towns and how to revitalise them. This would be the first time since the Victorian era.
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White added that the high streets had also taken a hit from “unfair” business rates, outdated planning rules and the “tourist tax”.
Data from the British Retail Consortium shows that six thousand shops have closed down in the UK in the last five years as a result of hesitancy around new openings.
White said traffic changes and clean air zones – like Sadiq Khan’s controversial Ulez scheme for London– needed to be implemented “in a way that doesn’t leave anyone behind”.
She concluded that high streets were at risk “becoming a looting ground for emboldened shoplifters and organised gangs” without a “comprehensive plan” to combat the rise of retail crime.
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