Make-up hidden to deter theft

THIEVES have forced a Henley shop to hide part of its stock.

Boots in Bell Street now keeps make-up and toiletry products out of sight to avoid them being stolen.

No7 make-up products are at particular risk.

Kerry Miller, from Henley, noticed that the stocks of make-up were low and some display areas were actually empty.

She said: “I queried this at the till. The cashier pointed behind her and explained that the No7 toiletries had all been moved.

“She added that if a customer could not find what they wanted among the remaining items in the make-up section, the shop would order it in.

“The reason for all this? The cashier told me that it’s the sheer number of thieves who come into the store, then simply help themselves and run off.

“Apparently, make-up is very easy to sell and they can then get drugs.”

Ms Miller said she was “horrified” to hear this, adding: “I would rather Boots did something about it than give in to it and say, ‘That’s the way it is’.

“In a place like Henley, it seems so foreign to the gentle ethos of the town.”

A Boots spokeswomansaid: “Like many retailers, we are experiencing increasing levels of retail crime in our stores. We’re doing everything we can to support our team members, including investing heavily in our own security.

“Last year, we opened a state-of-the-art CCTV monitoring centre and we also use body cameras for team members but sadly retail crime still remains an issue for many of our stores.

“We are working closely with the Home Office and the police to explore what more can be done.”