பிரிவுகள்: பொது ஃபெட் செய்திகள்

Long-standing Fed member tells BBC that shoplifting “epidemic” continues

(Stephen Tate, photo courtesy of the BBC). 

Experienced Fed member, Stephen Tate – who is based in Stockton-upon-Tees in the Northeast of England – has told the BBC that shoplifting continues at unacceptably high levels, despite a recent levelling off in reported retail crime and explained the steps he is forced to take to protect his stock from theft.

Speaking to the BBC in an interview arranged by the Fed, he said: “Once or twice a year we’re throwing people out, your average stock disappearing – that happens quite a lot”. He also spoke about an occasion where he caught someone with six jars of coffee down their trousers and his partner grabbed the individual before calling the police”.  He also said “ I’m not going to let you walk out of here with half a dozen chocolate bars if I can stop you, and if that means throwing you out of the shop, well, I’ll do that.”

Recent government statistics indicated theft and harassment of shop owners had dipped slightly but remained stubbornly high with many offences underreported. In figures the Fed highlighted to the BBC on Mr Tate’s behalf, Cleveland Police, which covers Stockton, had the biggest increase in shoplifting offences between 2025-26, with a rise of 14.9% from 8,326 to 9,568. The overall incidence of theft  at 15.9 offences were 1,000 people, was the second highest surveyed, only behind City of London in England and Wales.

Earlier in the year, Mr Tate raised his concerns directly in a meeting with his local Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner, Matt Storey. The Fed continues to engage with Cleveland Police as well as other Police teams across the whole of the UK and Ireland to raise similar concerns of Fed members. During February’s meeting, Mr Storey acknowledged the challenge and said: “Tackling business and retail crime cannot be solved by policing alone, and I was pleased to develop our broader partnership approach by speaking with the Fed’s team, and to learn more about the issues from a business perspective as part of my engagement work.”

At a national level, the Fed is continuing to work with the Home Office to call on greater measures to enhance Police resourcing and raised this point in recent days in correspondence with the Treasury ahead of the Budget. Meanwhile, the Fed has recently written to the Secretary of State for Justice about ensuring that deterrents and rehabilitation options are in place to ensure that recurrent thieves do not repeatedly target neighbourhood businesses.

If you are a Fed member and would like to share similar concerns about retail crime or High Street rogue trade, please get in touch with our Political Engagement Coordinator: douglas.oliver@nfrn.org.uk

Shivani Raja MP welcomed to the Fed’s East of England Trade Show

(Shivani Raja MP speaks at the Fed’s East of England Trade Show). 

Leicester East Member of Parliament, Shivani Raja, attended the Fed’s East of England trade show on September 10th and spoke of her support for small independent retailers in the East Midlands and around the country.

The trade show saw hundreds of Fed members and their business suppliers meet on the Holiday Inn on the edge of Leicester. Conservative MP Ms Raja has been working closely with the Fed since a large delegation of local members met with her in April and discussed a range of topics including retail crime, high business costs and rogue trade. Also attending was Leicester City Cllr, Devi Singh Patel, who East of England branch members have also been working closely with.

Thanking the Fed organisers, Ms Raja said the small businesses on display “…represented the backbone of our community and the heart of our community… and I will always be an advocate for our small businesses and independent businesses across the city and across the country.” Ms Raja also pledged to support forthcoming Fed campaign activity including its “Wave Goodbye to Community Crime” day.

(The Fed’s National President, Hemanshu Patel, and Eastern District members thanked Ms Raja and discussed the work the Fed was doing to give members a voice in Parliament. )

The Fed’s National President, Hemanshu Patel, who was also in attendance, thanked Ms Raja in response and said to members that the Fed “had been around since 1919, is a proud organisation and we are evolving, but we are seeing many challenges like retail crime, the Deposit Return Scheme for recycling (DRS) and illicit tobacco. However, we are representing you the members and asking MPs to represent us in Parliament”.

The event was organised by East of England District members led by its President, Jital Patel. District Vice President, Vidur Padya said after the event: “It was an extremely positive event. As well as thanking Ms Raja and Cllr Patel, the District also wanted to thank all our suppliers, including our lead sponsors PU Tech and Imperial Brands.”

Also commenting, Parth Patel, Deputy Vice President of the East of England branch said: “”It was great to welcome Shivani Raja MP and local councillors to the event. It’s important that our politicians meet independent retailers, hear directly about the challenges they face and understand the important role our members play in their communities. The DRS discussion was very important for members to learn more about…With the new sign-ups from the member2member initiative, the district continues to get stronger and younger.”

The Fed works with Bank of England to help members identify fake bank notes

(Pictured: Fed member, Kaual Patel, who is a independent retailer based in South East London, has backed the scheme)

The Fed is working with the Bank of England to help members identify and challenge fake cash to help members reduce the financial and reputational risk that they can cause. This includes Fed member, Kaual Patel, who is an independent retailer based in South East London, who recently joined the Bank Note checking scheme which the Bank has launched to assist in raising awareness and meeting the counterfeit challenge.

Members can view the following video to discover more:

Other Fed members can also sign up here to join the Bank Note Checking Scheme for free

The Bank of England says the scheme will help businesses like Fed members:

• Reduce the financial loss and reputational risks caused by counterfeit banknotes
• Get support and up-to-date guidance, including training materials
• Support their communities by preventing the spread of counterfeits and associated crimes

As a member, you will:

• Receive a welcome pack containing all our staff training materials on how to check a banknote and what to do with a counterfeit
• Get a regular newsletter updating you on best practice and news
• Be the first to hear about other important developments such as the withdrawal of old notes
• Have a point of contact at the Bank

This scheme only covers Bank of England notes. You can get training materials and other information about Scottish and Northern Ireland banknotes from the Committee of Commercial Banknote Issuers, although the Bank of England’s newsletters will update you on any major developments.

Long term decline but recent increase in counterfeiting

According to the Bank of England, there has been a recent small increase reported with the 2025 counterfeit banknote statistics, which showed a rise in counterfeit notes detected, up from 99,000 in 2024 to 200,000 in 2025.

The Bank reports that this represents only a small fraction of the overall supply of notes – 0.0041% of banknotes were counterfeit, less than 1 in 24,390 banknotes. This also represents a big decline in the reported number of discovered notes found in the past decade or so – back in 2012, there were more than 700,000 counterfeit notes discovered.

In recent years there has been a significant fall in counterfeit notes seized – but it stated to increase again in 2025. (Source: Bank of England).

The Bank says that the introduction of polymer notes and new security features – including, in September 2016 the polymer £5 note, followed by the £10 in 2017, £20 in 2020, and £50 in 2021 – has helped limit the increase.

That said, the Fed and the Bank see no room for complacency, and they are collaborating on this campaign to help members spot what might be suspicious.

Commenting, the Fed’s National President, Hemanshu Patel, also backed the initiative saying: “We are working with the Bank of England to encourage our members to participate in this worthwhile scheme.

“I know what a cost and nuisance fake notes can cause a business from my own experience as a retailer. I also shared feedback about this issue with the Bank of England in a meeting with them in January last year when I was National Vice President of the Fed and we will continue to help draw attention to this problem.”

சேஃப்சேன் 

Finally, the Fed is also working in Partnership with Safescan, who offer exclusive discounts for Fed members on counterfeit detection and cash counters, find out more on their website: Safe scan Federation of Independent Retailers.  Fed members need their Fed ID number to access the site and discounts but they can obtain that from the contact centre if needed: 0207 017 8880.

Fed President Hemanshu Patel calls for Government to put independent retailers at heart of its Budget agenda

Fed President, Hemanshu Patel, calls for Government to put independent retailers at heart of its Budget agenda

The Fed’s National President, Hemanshu Patel, has once again called on the Chancellor John Healey MP to keep small shops at the heart of the government’s growth agenda, in the run up to the Budget on October 28^அந்த.

Mr Patel’s call came as part of the Fed’s submission ahead of the Government’s Budget – which is scheduled for Wednesday 28^அந்த October –  and follows a similar call for action on business costs and retail crime when Mr Healey was appointed by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham at the end of July. This previous letter calling for consideration of business rates, energy costs, above-inflation increases in the minimum wage was acknowledged by Mr Healey in August who said in correspondence of 26th August “There is a great amount to do during the coming months and I look forward to working with you to achieve our mutual goals.”

Key policy points raised in Mr Patel’s September letter ahead of the Budget, included:

• Highlighting rogue trade and retail crime which Mr Patel says remains unacceptably high – despite a recent plateauing near historically high levels – with a call for continued investment in Neighbourhood policing and ring-fenced resourcing for trading standards teams.
• A call for the government to increase the employer National Insurance Contribution threshold above the £5,000 threshold to try and boost employment to at least £7,000, as this will particularly help small shops boost employment for those on the margins of employment, like part-time and young staff members.
• Once again highlighted concern about Fed members being impacted by Business Rate increases and losing out on Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) by the recent April revaluation, calling on the government to increase the threshold for SBRR from its current base 100% relief level of £12,000 per annum, to £18,000 or higher.
• Calling for action on energy bills, included highlighting the Fed’s work with, Sarah Edwards MP, on the Trust and Transparency Charter campaign to create greater competition in the energy market.

Mr Patel’s letter stated: “… this remains a challenging time for our members and those across the independent convenience sector as they continue to face high taxation and high energy costs. Whilst the Fed acknowledges the fiscal challenges the government must deal with, we hope that the needs of small retail businesses– and the wider social and economic benefits they provide – are also factored into the decisions you will need to make in this Budget and beyond.”

Fed seeks member feedback on vape consultation

(Pictured: the Fed’s National President, Hemanshu Patel)

The Fed seeks member feedback on vape display ban consultation

The Fed is encouraging members to participate in the vape display ban consultation being implemented by the Department of Health, which closes on October 2.

Among the government’s proposals are:

• A ban on vape displays similar to that in place for cigarettes
• Tighter rules around the description of vapes
• Introduction of plain packaging of vapes
• Rules around the design of vapes.

National President, Hemanshu Patel, said: “The Fed has concerns about some of the measures being proposed and, importantly, we want to make sure the voice of independent retailers is heard. I would encourage members to share their views with our Political Engagement team or, better still, take part in the consultation directly. These changes could have a real impact on how our members operate their businesses, so it is important that government understands the practical challenges they face.”

The consultation can be accessed at: https://consultations.dhsc.gov.uk/tobacco-and-vapes-packaging-appearance-and-display

The Fed’s concerns include:

• The costs, space and logistics complexity for members putting vapes behind a display screen.
• Proposed timescales. If changes to vape display restrictions go ahead, we want to ensure Fed members are given as much time as possible to prepare. We are also calling for appropriate resources to be made available to ensure any new restrictions are properly understood and enforced. The government is currently proposing that retailers have at least six months to prepare, but we believe this should be longer.
• Plain packaging will make it harder for retailers and their customers to identify vapes, slowing down transactions.

In the last two years, the Fed has scrutinised various aspects of the Tobacco and Vapes Act before and since its passage through Parliament and called for the unique needs of small independent retailers to be considered before changes are implemented. As previously reported, the Fed has called on the government to consider the needs of small shops in the way it develops rules.

If you have any questions about the vape consultation, please contact our Political Engagement Coordinator on: douglas.oliver@nfrn.org.uk

Fed urges members to start preparing for Tobacco and Vape Changes

(Pictured: the Fed’s President, Hemanshu Patel)

The Fed is urging members to prepare for changes which are coming forward in October regarding the sale and marketing of vape products and related products. Meanwhile, the Fed is continuing to lobby government to ensure the needs and concerns of independent retailers is heard at this time of significant regulatory change.

Key dates include:

October 1^st:

• Vape Fluid Levy: The Fed’s reminding retailers to prepare for the new vape fluid levy of £2.20 per 10ml which is taking effect from 1^st அக்டோபர், see previous Fed update here.

October 29^அந்த:

• Child sales of nicotine pouches and non-nicotine vapes banned: From 29^அந்த October, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the age of sale for all vape and nicotine products will be set at 18 – which impacts nicotine pouches and zero-nicotine vapes, as only vapes with nicotine were covered by this age restriction before now.
• Proxy purchasing ban for vapes: from 29^அந்த October, people will also be banned from selling vapes to under 18s.
• The ban on free distribution of vapes and vape products:  It will also be illegal to give away free samples, promotional product giveaways, or associated discount coupons of vaping and nicotine items to any member of the public.
• Ban on “substantial discounts” on vaping and nicotine products: these bans don’t include selling existing stock at discounted price, it bans sales at “a price reduction that significantly lowers the cost of a product compared with its standard selling price.” Penalties for this offence – and on free distribution of vapes – are set to be £200 in England, Wales and Scotland and are likely to be similar in Northern Ireland once approved.
• Government guidance: more information is available on the government website here.

January 1^st:

• Generational Smoking Ban starts: no one born after 1^st January 2009 will be able to buy cigarettes.

The Fed has been vocal in its call for the government to engage independent retailers on some of the changes coming down the line effecting tobacco and vapes, particularly those taking effect as part of the Tobacco and Vapes Act. Whilst some changes like tobacco licencing are likely to come in the next few years, and the Fed is preparing for a consultation at the moment on restricting vape packaging, flavours and shop display ban, retailers in the UK will need to start preparing for these measures.

Fed contributes to joint letter opposing Food Price Cap in Scotland

(The Fed’s Scottish President, Uthay Soundararajan, with last year’s President, Hussan Lal). 

The Fed’s Scottish President, Uthay Soundararajan, has joined a group of industry representatives, led by the Scottish Retail Consortium SRC,  in writing to the SNP First Minister, John Swinney MSP, in calling for price caps on essential goods to be scrapped.

Overall, 22 bodies signed the letter, including retail, food and drink production and manufacturing, and distribution, which together employ 300,000 people across Scotland. The letter stated: “We share your ambition to grow the economy, improve living standards, and keep down the cost of living for Scots.

We recognise there are differing views on how best to ease the cost of living, particularly for less affluent households. However, we jointly believe the mooted Statutory Food Price Cap is unnecessary, ineffective, and likely to deliver significant adverse consequences. Those impacts upon retailers, food and drink producers, and shopworkers in themselves are undesirable but the effect will be to increase, rather than decrease, the cost of household goods.”

The letter comments made by Mr Soundararajan on behalf of the Fed, earlier in the year, just before May’s election, in which the SNP ultimately emerged as the largest party. He said that: ““While this is not likely to affect our members directly, we are concerned this will distort trade and do nothing to help shops or their customers. Across the sector, retail is a very competitive market and small shops play an important part in it.

“The devil will be in the detail on this, but questions remain about how it will have an impact on different retailers – big and small, online and the high street, and those across the border in England – and it could cause unnecessary complexity and uncertainty”.