A retailer has warned others to stay vigilant after thieves stole stock and a four-figure sum of cash from his company van while he was shopping at Booker Port Dundas in Glasgow.
CCTV footage shows a man entering a van belonging to retailer Kiran Atkinson Sood and his father at the depot at around 11.30am on 29 July. Sood later discovered cigarettes, cash and other goods were stolen.
The footage also appears to show the man entering another van in the depot car park. Sood shared the video on Facebook.
“It only takes a split second. All the hard work can just be taken away like that. It will take months to recover,” he told our sister title RN.
Sood believes the theft was part of a wider pattern of criminals targeting retailers at cash and carry sites. He claimed the same group had struck at depots in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee.
He believes the theft was carefully planned, with the offender knowing exactly what they wanted before entering the vehicle, while blending in with other depot customers in broad daylight.
Read more: Lioncroft chief highlights rising retail crime figures
“He knows exactly what he’s doing. To a passer-by, you would think he was the owner of the vehicle. This happened with hundreds of cars around and nobody batted an eyelid,” he said.
The incident was reported to Scottish police, but Sood said he was still waiting to hear from officers and believed retailers were not receiving enough support after thefts of this kind.
“They know that this is just going to keep happening and they’re just not doing anything to stop it,” he said.
He urged retailers visiting cash and carry depots to remain vigilant by locking vehicles, checking they are secure and avoiding leaving valuables inside, even for short periods.
The incident comes amid longstanding concerns about organised criminals targeting retailers at cash and carry depots.
Food and Drink Wholesale UK has described thefts from retailers’ vehicles in depot car parks as “commonplace”, warning that bags of tobacco worth thousands are regularly stolen while customers shop.
Previous RN investigations have also raised concerns about the lack of enforcement. Freedom of information responses from police forces found that fewer than one in 20 reported crimes at cash and carry sites resulted in a charge or summons, while almost two-thirds of offences went unresolved because no suspect was identified.
Police Scotland said “enquiries are ongoing” into the report of theft. Booker did not return RN’s request for comment.
