After years of campaigning and lobbying the government to make a serious commitment to tackling retail crime, the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) is pleased to see that the Crime and Policing Bill has finally received Royal Assent and is now established in law.
As a trade organisation representing more than 8,000 smaller retailers, the Fed has relayed to politicians and police and crime commissioners time and time again that retail crime, including violence, theft and harassment, are of deep concern its members – more so now than ever.
Despite a small reduction in the number of recorded shoplifting offences, the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on April 23 remain shocking, with 509,566 recorded offences in the year ending December 2025.
The Fed’s National President Hetal Patel said: “Theft is traumatic for shopkeepers and their staff, and a social blight. But it also imposes a series of direct and indirect economic costs for shops in terms of lost stock and expensive security measures, which undermine their financial viability.
“For these reasons, the measures contained within the Act, particularly the removal of the ridiculous £200 threshold for theft and the introduction of a standalone offence of assaulting a shopworker – with a possible prison sentence of six months – are welcome and long overdue.
“More broadly, we will continue to call for more active intervention from Community Policing teams, so that these issues are taken more seriously and that shoplifting is no longer widely regarded as a victimless crime.”
He added: “For too long, there has been a lack of police presence in communities, giving thieves and those who indulge in anti-social behaviour carte blanche to carry on unpunished.
“Therefore, the government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee to deliver an additional 13,000 neighbourhood officers by the end of this parliament is another positive step.”
The Home Office says the new powers for police and the wider criminal justice system will help realise this government’s mission to restore confidence in policing.
Mr Patel said: “What independent retailers want to see now is effective, direct action to curb the scourge of retail crime, and the police and courts to carry out the measures in the Crime and Policing Act to prosecute and deter criminals.
“We will continue to work closely with the government on the application of measures in the Act and push for targeted retail security grants to be introduced, so that small retailers can afford expensive security enhancements like next generation CCTV and other measures to keep their shops secure.”
The Fed’s President in Wales, Mark Dudden, has added his voice to calls for faster action implementing a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for recycling in Wales and for the adoption of a Deposit Management Organisation (DMO) which can administer it.
With the Welsh Senedd election due next week, the Fed has written to the current Government Minister responsible, Huw Irranca-Davies and his officials urging the appointment of a DMO which can administer the scheme and deal with the various technical questions involved in implementing DRS. The sole applicant for the DMO, Exchange for Change, was rejected in its application earlier in April and the new application process will carry on until June.
Mark Dudden commented: “The Fed has actively engaged in the implementation of DRS, serving on the Advisory Board of the DMO covering the rest of the UK, but we feel for it to work it must have full interoperability with the rest of Britain and Northern Ireland.
“As we have also made clear in our manifesto for the election, launched in January, the Fed also has concerns that adding glass to the mix will make it hard for small shops – and ultimately make the best the enemy of the good, undermining the Welsh scheme as a whole. Whoever takes on responsibility for running it, we hope a new DMO can be put in place as soon as possible to ensure clear communication and support for Welsh retailers when DRS is launched in just less than 18 months.”
Leicester East MP Shivani Raja has pledged to support independent retailers who are suffering from rising business rates, illicit tobacco, and surging crime following a meeting this month (Thursday, April 16) with a delegation of members from the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed).
Ms Raja, who has represented the constituency since the last General Election almost two years ago, offered to deliver a letter from Leicester retailers highlighting these concerns to the Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Fed members attending the meeting at her constituency offices were included East of England district president Jital Patel, Sunil Patel, Parth Patel, Rinku Patel and Hetal Patel. All have shops in Leicester. Fed members development executive Kully Kumar and political engagement coordinator Douglas Oliver were also in attendance.
During the meeting, Hetal Patel spoke about the new measures being introduced in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill and the rising cost of tobacco and the lack of resourcing provided by central government to help support legitimate retailers. The Fed team had said that they had raised these concerns in conversation with the Home Office and in correspondence with the Leicester PCC, but that challenges remained.
Parth Patel highlighted the impact of rising business rates bills which had controversially increased in April as the revaluation of properties – which sets the bills – had taken effect. Mr Patel added: “After operating for the last 35 years in the city, providing vital services, we might not survive another five years.”
Sunil Patel said: “Speaking as someone who first began as a retailer in Leicester more than 40 years ago, this is one of the toughest times I can remember and every retailer I know is reporting challenges because the cost of living squeeze is hitting our customers and because energy costs and taxes going up mean that our own costs are rising.”
Commenting on her Facebook page about the meeting, Ms Raja said: “These retailers are small businesses that make all the difference in our day-to-day lives, strengthening our local economy and playing a vital role in keeping our communities connected, supported, and thriving.”
Jital Patel said: “I look forward to working with Shivani in support of the Fed future. We were very pleased to explain the commercial benefits of Fed membership and we look forward to inviting her to visit some of our local businesses, as well as our Leicester trade show in October.”
Thursday’s interview with Mr and Mrs Malone came 18 months after they were previously interviewed by Newsnight in 2024 when they reported theft was causing their business in Tenby in West Wales “about £26k annually, roughly £500 every week”.
Whilst they say theft rates had fallen significantly since the installation of a CCTV and AI tool which cost them about £13,000. Mr Malone said: “We are under no illusion that theft has stopped… there is a problem of social acceptance”.
Mrs Malone also spoke about the challenges of confronting shoplifters and the need to challenge shoplifters “as they need to know it is wrong – last year Vince was punched in the face and the shoplifter asked why it was wrong as shoplifting was a victimless crime.”
Meanwhile, the Fed has continued to call for more action on shoplifting and for society to better recognise the human nature of theft because of the emotional toll it plays on retailers, whilst undermining their economic viability, leading to wider inflation in shopping costs for small businesses.
Two Fed members have spoken out on national television about the growing impact of illicit tobacco, as new data highlights a sharp decline in legal sales across the UK.
Official figures show legal tobacco sales have more than halved since 2021, with the rise of the illegal market cited as a key factor. The issue was explored in reports by ITV News, which featured independent retailers from across the Meridian and Anglia regions.
Dimpee Sood, owner of Falcon News, Portsmouth, said the shift towards cheaper, illegal alternatives is having a direct impact on legitimate businesses.
“The decline has been significant year on year,” she said. “Our sales have declined, our purchases for tobacco have declined. It is the cost.
“We’re challenged by the rising costs of tobacco compared to the illicit trade being sold at a much lower price. We can’t compete and neither do we want to.”
Similar concerns were raised in the East Anglia region, where Avda Kucchadia, who manages Neil’s Premier, Peterborough, owned by Fed member Neil Godhania, highlighted the pressure retailers face at the till.
“We regularly have customers coming in complaining about tobacco prices,” he said. “We understand from their point of view it is expensive nowadays, but if we sell a pack for £30, they might go elsewhere and get it for £10.”
Mr Kucchadia added that some customers are willing to take the risk on cheaper products, he added: “When we sell tobacco, you are getting what you pay for — it is legitimate. Customers buying cheaper tobacco elsewhere are taking a higher risk that it could be counterfeit.”
The ITV reports also highlighted enforcement activity, with Trading Standards teams uncovering illegal cigarettes, tobacco and related products during recent raids. Concerns were raised about the wider links between illicit trade and organised crime.
The Fed has continued to raise concerns about the impact of illegal tobacco on members, warning that it creates unfair competition for responsible retailers who follow the rules.
The Fed has welcomed the confirmation from Exchange for Change – the non-profit industry-led body which is going to deliver and administer the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for Recycling, when it launches in October next year – that plastic bottles and cans will be subject to a 20p deposit as part of the DRS scheme.
The 20p figure was decided after consideration of a 10p or 30p amount.
The Fed’s National President Hetal Patel said: “The Fed is pleased that this has now been confirmed. All the evidence from retail engagement in the UK and from other countries already applying DRS around the world indicates it has been set at a sensible level. This will provide customers with a positive nudge to return their bottles and cans so they can be recycled, reducing waste.”
Russell Davies, Exchange for Change CEO said: “The deposit value is a pivotal part of how the deposit return scheme will work in practice. That’s why we’ve engaged widely with industry, undertaken extensive market research and in-depth analysis on how schemes work in other countries. This work has identified that a flat 20p deposit is the most proportionate and sustainable amount for the UK.
Meanwhile, the Fed continues to engage actively on DRS – serving on Exchange for Change’s Advisory Board – and is calling for DRS to be “revenue-neutral” for retailers, with a generous handling fee and a system of grants to help small shops prepare for the change next year.
The Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) says that, despite a small reduction in the number of recorded shoplifting offences in England and Wales, the figures are still shocking.
Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today (April 23) shows that the number of offences recorded by police decreased by 1% to 509,566 in the year ending December 2025, compared with the previous year’s 516,611.
The Fed’s National President Hetal Patel said: “There is continued evidence that incidents of shoplifting are levelling off, but it clearly remains unacceptably high.
“The drop in the number of recorded offences is obviously a step in the right direction but follows a 20 per cent increase in offences last year, so there clearly is no room for complacency.
“We are glad the government has acted on our lobbying to remove the £200 threshold and introduced the standalone offence of assaulting a shop worker.
“What is perhaps especially heartening is that there has been an increase in the overall charge volumes for shoplifting by 17 per cent and also an increase in charge rates proportionately.
“It is also positive that there has been an apparent shift in resources, with 3,000 officers now being reported as serving in neighbourhood roles.
“We want to work with the government to ensure they are serving on the frontline, not always focused on paperwork, and providing rapid, meaningful support when theft and violence impacts our members.”
Mr Patel said he recognised that retail crime has complex causes – often linked to drugs and deprivation – but the establishment of a new National Police Service to challenge organised crime could be useful.
He added: “We raised these concerns in a meeting with the Police and Crime Minister in December 2025 and we continue our call for the government and opposition parties to pledge support for targeted retail security grants, so our members can deter thieves.
“We look forward to working with the Home Office on this in the months ahead.”
The Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) has met with Kent police and crime commissioner (PCC) Matthew Scott to discuss the work that Kent Police is undertaking to tackle the ongoing challenge of rogue trade, particularly the illicit black market in tobacco which continues to cause concern for retailers and law enforcement alike, and ongoing theft and harassment of Kent shopkeepers.
Representing the Fed were its national vice president Hemanshu Patel, who owns Saltwood General Store in Hythe in the county, and the Fed’s political engagement coordinator Douglas Oliver.
Mr Patel spoke about a Kent Police operation back in February which led to the seizure of 100kg of illegal tobacco products in Hythe. While this was welcome, he said that more needed to be done to ensure that rogue operators were closed down permanently. Mr Scott acknowledged that the local police knew that illicit tobacco remained a challenging topic but were keen to work more closely with retailers, members of the public and local authority trading standards teams to tackle this. He added that Kent Police had a particularly close relationship with the national charity Crime Stoppers. He urged retailers to engage with them.
The Fed team congratulated Mr Scott on the recent news that three persistent shoplifters had recently been the subject of police action, including an offender in the Gillingham and Rochester area who was subject to a custodial sentence after breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order. However, the Fed representatives stressed the ongoing perception of high crime levels and their sense of vulnerability to crime.
Mr Scott spoke of his team’s work on the Retail Crime Board and encouraged Fed members in Kent to participate. He also spoke about the use of new technologies, such as Disc, through Business Crime Reduction Partnerships in certain parts of the county, but also said he hoped there could be wider application of reporting tools like it.
After the meeting, which took place on Tuesday, March 24, Mr Scott said: “It was a very useful discussion. We encourage retailers impacted by retail crime to always report using 999 or 101, and also to use Crimestoppers to report suspicions of illicit tobacco anonymously on 0800 555 111 or the www.crimestoppers-uk.org website. I look forward to meeting with Hemanshu and Kent Fed members again in the future.”
Mr Patel said: “As a Kent retailer and Fed member, I felt this was a very positive meeting and I would like to thank Matthew and his team for their time. The Fed looks forward to participating in the Retail Crime Boards in the future and I look forward to speaking with him and his team later in the year in person.”
Senior Fed members in Scotland met with Jeremy Balfour, the former MSP for Lothian Region and a candidate for Edinburgh & Lothians East in the forthcoming May Scottish election, at Levenhall Village Store, Musselburgh, in East Lothian, on Thursday April 9.
The meeting, which focused on the challenges facing small shops and the Fed’s manifesto for the election, which was released in January, took place at the business of Fed national trustee Ferhan Ashiq with the Fed’s new Scottish president Uthay Soundararajan, who is a retailer in Edinburgh, also in attendance.
Mr Ashiq met with Mr Balfour just hours after speaking live on BBC Radio Scotland about the scourge of retail crime and its impact on small shops. Mr Ashiq highlighted the concern of Fed members for action to be taken on theft – including a more robust response from Police Scotland and targeted grants for small shops so that they can take measures to protect their shops from theft.
Mr Balfour has served in the Scottish Parliament for the past decade, first as a Conservative before deciding to leave the party last year and serve as an Independent. He is well known for his support for small businesses in the Holyrood Parliament.
Mr Ashiq also spoke about the challenges caused by rising taxation and called for extra protection from rising government and commercial costs, such as business rates and the spectre of rising energy bills following the war in Iran.
Mr Balfour said: “It was great to speak with Ferhan and Uthay about the challenges faced by small shops across Scotland. If elected again, I look forward to working with the Fed to ensure the valuable role small businesses like these play in the Scottish economy and in the social fabric of Scotland is properly valued.”
Mr Ashiq said: “It was an extremely positive meeting and want to thank Jeremy for coming along and showing his support. We look forward to working with Jeremy and all parties in the devolved Scottish Parliament, after the May election.”
Once-in-a-generation changes will strengthen Lotto’s position as the nation’s ‘millionaire maker’, while a UK-specific version of the world’s biggest jackpot game, Powerball, comes to the UK.
Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, today announces two new major game formats coming this summer: the biggest-ever change to Lotto, and the launch of a UK-specific version of Powerball, the first time the game will be available outside of the USA.
From 7 June*, every £2 Lotto line will give players two chances to win – all for the same price and with the same number of balls to choose from, with a new two-round format every draw. The change improves players’ chances of winning any prize from 1-in-9.3 to 1-in-4.9 and is expected to more than double the number of Lotto millionaires from around 140 a year to around 345.
As the nation’s ‘millionaire maker’, the new Lotto format will be the perfect complement to the UK’s first £1bn+ mega-jackpot game, which is coming this summer with the launch of a UK-specific version of Powerball. This will see UK players playing alongside their US counterparts for a chance to win the mega, shared jackpot – which will be paid out over 30 years to UK jackpot winners. The game is expected to deliver around £1bn more to UK Good Causes over the first five years, with over 30% of the ticket price returned to UK Good Causes.
Allwyn CEO, Andria Vidler, said, “We are delivering on our promise to bring more games, more entertainment and more innovation to The National Lottery. With extensive upgrades to our digital and retail channels now complete, we have a fantastic summer lined up, as we are now able to bring these exciting new games to our players.
“Lotto has always been the best game to play if you want to become a millionaire. Our new Lotto gives players two chances of winning £1m-plus for the same £2 they spend on each Lotto line today, creating hundreds more millionaires every year. And with its transformative jackpots, which will be paid to UK winners over time, we’re certain that our UK-specific version of the iconic Powerball game will really capture the UK public’s imagination.
Allwyn UK CEO Andria Vidler marks a transformative moment for The National Lottery, revealing Lotto ball 20 and Powerball 26 – symbolising 2026 and the launch of two huge new National Lottery games this summer.
“By offering a wide range of complementary games, we’re ensuring there is something for everyone – returning the magic, building our player base and making sure The National Lottery remains part of the national conversation. In turn, this will raise more money for Good Causes, helping us reach our goal of doubling weekly returns to Good Causes from £30m to £60m by 2034, with £33m a week currently raised.”
What’s changing with Lotto?
Every £2 Lotto line will now give players two chances to win – all for the same price and with the same number of balls to choose from – with a new two-round format in every Wednesday and Saturday draw. The change will also generate millions of pounds more in sales of the game in a typical week, and even more when Allwyn holds special event draws, generating even more money for Good Causes across the UK.
When will new Lotto tickets go on sale and draws take place?
Tickets for new Lotto will go on sale from Sunday 7 June*, with the first draw taking place on Wednesday 10 June. The Lotto draws will continue to take place at around 8pm every Saturday and Wednesday. The new two-round structure will see two sets of six main balls and a Bonus Ball drawn using two separate draw machines. This means a player could win in Round 1, Round 2, or both rounds, all from a single Lotto line.
What about the Lotto jackpots and prizes?
As with the current format, Lotto jackpots will begin at £2m and can roll over up to five times before a must-be-won event on the sixth consecutive draw. Players will still win a prize when they match two or more main numbers. And there are two ways to become a millionaire on the game – through a guaranteed £1m-plus jackpot for matching six main numbers, and a £1m fixed prize for anyone matching five main numbers plus the Bonus Ball.
Allwyn UK CEO Andria Vidler marks a transformative moment for The National Lottery, revealing Powerball 26 – ahead of the launch of the UK’s first £1bn+ mega-jackpot game later this summer.
The jackpot will be shared across both rounds, while all other prize tiers will continue to offer fixed cash prizes, paid per round. In addition, the Lotto HotPicks add-on game will also move to the new two-round format, and will continue to be priced at £1.
What is Powerball?
Founded in 1992, Powerball is the world’s biggest rolling jackpot game, with an uncapped jackpot starting at £12m and transformational prizes on offer. In addition to making its biggest-ever winner of over $2.04bn in 2022, over the past 34 years, Powerball has generated an estimated $38bn for good causes, including education and scholarships, veteran services, parks and recreation, and more.
How will Powerball work in the UK?
Powerball is launching in the UK in partnership with the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) – a non-profit association owned and operated by its member lotteries. With 48 US-based lotteries already participating in Powerball, Allwyn will be launching a tailored version of the game for UK players. Priced at £4 per line, this will see them playing for a chance to win the shared jackpot, paid out over 30 years for UK winners, by matching five main numbers plus the Powerball.
The UK game features an extra ‘Match 2 main numbers’ prize tier, which is only available to UK players and offers a fixed prize of £8. The ‘Match 5 main numbers’ tier also offers a fixed prize of £1m, while all other UK prize tiers offer generous estimated prizes – which vary depending on the balls drawn and the number of winners in each tier.
When will Powerball tickets go on sale and draws take place?
Powerball tickets will go on sale to UK players later this summer*, with the exact date to be confirmed nearer the time. UK Powerball players will pick five main numbers ranging from numbers from 1 to 69, and one Powerball number from 1 to 26. Or they can choose a Lucky Dip. Tickets will be available to buy online or in store by 11.55pm the night before the draws (on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays), with the draws then happening around 4am the next morning – on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday – from the Powerball studio in Florida.
*Game launches are subject to final regulatory approval
