Sought-after Jellycat toys targeted by criminal gangs in soft toy crimewave
The fluffy, colorful and cute – Jellycats has become the latest collection to be viral with its popularity, which is competing with Beanie’s Beanie baby madness.
The prince and princess of Wales were even presented to two of the toys at a royal garden party in Buckingham Palace last month.
However, the fame of the toys and the expensive price tag means that they have become a target for thieves, including organized crime gangs.
Independent garden centers and country up and down bookstores, retailers are faced with theft that removed thousands of pounds away from their pockets.
Stolen goods, merchants IndependentFor the purchase and sale of toys, special facebook pages and lists in online markets such as ebay and vinted.
Prices range from £ 12 to a smaller toy for a giant toy for a giant toy.
Last week, Dorset police made an objection after stoleing Jellycat toys worth £ 250 after entering a bookstore twice in a woman Christchurch.
On Friday, West Mercia police arrested a 38 -year -old woman after being stolen on three events at the St Peter Garden Center of Jellycat toys, and both Norton, Evesham Country Park in Worcestershire.
And in February, a woman admitted that she played Jellycat toy, worth £ 3,000 from three different garden centers in Norfolk. 35 -year -old Ruby Smith in Suffolk was sentenced to 26 weeks of imprisonment for 24 months.
In March, Gorge Bear Company, about 300 of the toys were allegedly stolen Somperset, Cheddar store in the RAM raid overnight. While the questions continued, a man was arrested by the police.
And last year at Bridport in Dorset, Groves Nursery owner Charlie Groves allegedly stole more than 300 £ eight Jellycats while pushing a baby in CCTV into a baby car.
A woman in her 30s was accused of stealing in connection with the incident. On August 14, he will take place in the Newton Abbot Magistrate Court for a defense hearing.
Mr. Groves said: “Jellycat toys can be collected and only another good criminal, losing independent retailers like ourselves, and all of this has a clear cost.
“We think that the toys were stolen and then sold online, very difficult to stop, but we tried to increase our security in the store.”
The success story behind Jellycat Toy began in 1999 when Tom and Will Gatacre set up the brand and exhibited his products at a London Trade Fair and attracted the attention of major retailers such as John Lewis and Selfridges.
Today, the company has approximately 1,200 stockists throughout the UK, but recently reduced the number of “offers the best shopping experience for customers”.
Katy Bourne, the national leader of retail crime for the Association of Police and Crime Commissaries (APCC),, Independent He was also aware of the “numerous cases” including Jellycats.
The targeted shops such as garden centers encourage details about theft for a information sharing plan used by the Police forces called Pegasus Project, which was released in 2023.
He said: “Jellycat toys can be reused, so we see some people playing them collectively.
“They can be given a lot because people want to buy them for their children. This is a mixture of people who play. We have seen organized crime gangs, but you also take opportunists. Shops need to work with the police to stop the thieves.”
The British retail consortium, about a quarter of a quarter, witnessed a shop in a shop for the last 12 months. which estimate The cost of the crime is £ 2.2 billion last year for retailers in the UK.
The body said he suspected that Jellycat was stolen to establish online relationships due to high values.
Speaking about retail crime in general, Deputy Director of Business and Regulation Graham Wynn, Independent: “Although the reasons are manifold, the increase in organized crime is an important concern, gangs hit one after another.
“Unfortunately, such a theft is not a sacrifice crime, increasing the cost of honest shopping and damaging the customer experience.”
