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drive home this agenda and ensure help them to create a business shouting out than outside the tent
local retailers are engaged. environment where they can thrive. shouting in. That is why he wants to
Secondly, counter terrorism forms We have 30,000 SME members and engage with the disparate retail
part of the BRC crime agenda, 172 retail multiple brands and we pressure groups to speak with one
followed by the issue of cash in want to engage with them as well voice.
transit crime, the armed robberies as reach out to those currently not In Scotland, for example, the
that continually plague the retail engaged.” Retailers Against Crime, has taken a
and security industries. Although he is not allowed to very direct action approach to
Organised crime and e-crime are talk individual names, Robertson identifying shop raiders who have
also priority issues for the BRC said that new members including struck fear into retailers both north
along with the licensing of security some of the value and online and south of the border as well as
guards at stores. All of these issues brands who recognise the value of Northern Ireland and Eire. But there
are now the subject of working BRC membership. is no plan to replicate an English
groups to drive discussion and In short, the wheels of version of RACS via the auspices of
action. All have to report back and government move very slowly and the BRC.
their recommendations form the Robertson in bullish mood argues “We simply have not been asked
platform for BRC policy moving that many minister simply do not to do this by our members, it has
beyond 2010. understand the retail imperative. not been brought up,” argues
“When I went to see the CEOs of “We need to keep it simple so Robertson.
our members, I wanted to be clear that we do not lose sight of the The Retail Loss Prevention
about priorities. It is not about Roberston: priorities,” he says. Fashion Forum represents part of
what we at the BRC want, but what Four crime He adopts a Lenin-like approach the 15 per cent of retailers not
our members want to see us priorities for to outside critics – he would simply currently represented by the BRC.
engaging in because our role is to the BRC prefer them to be inside the tent Robertson wants them inside the
body working together to drive
policy, rather than criticising from
the outside because the goals are
the same – cutting crime and
making stores safe for staff and
customers alike.
But perhaps although the
agendas are the same, the pace is
different. Fashion retailers may
argue that their issues are different
to many of the other members of
the BRC. They are targeted more
because the value of the stock and
desirability among the criminal
fraternity is greater. As Robertson
admits, Ministers move slowly – too
slowly for fast fashion and iconic
brand retailers who believe that the
wheels of Government have
stopped, and even fallen off in
some cases.
They want more direct action and
access to Government decision
makers than the BRC can deliver
through its working parties. Talking
shop is something Robertson is
good at, but he is adamant that the
BRC is not another talking shop. As
2008 draws to a close and the
economic downturn deepens, this
will be a testing time for the body
that represents the shop window of
UK plc. When the crime figures are
published for 2009, that will be the
proof of the pudding of whether
the working parties are working
and are truly touching a nerve at
the heart of Government policy. RF
ISSUE 3 DECEMBER 2008 • 17
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