Harrods is handing shoppers logo-free carrier bags in a bid to tackle mugging rates in London.
Van Cleef and Arpels, a French jewellery company with counters in Harrods and Selfridges, confirmed its customers are offered ‘anonymised bags’ as well as branded ones.
It comes as robbery and theft rates have skyrocketed in the capital in recent years, police figures show.
Reported thefts from an individual in Westminster have increased from six per 1,000 people in September 2021 to more than 20 per 1,000 by September 2024.
Victims have had expensive jewellery, watches and phones ripped from their person while walking along the street or on public transport.
A spokesperson for Van Cleef and Arpels said: ‘The Maison offers, for all its clients, the possibility of having anonymised bags for more discretion if they wish, in addition to the Van Cleef & Arpels classical bag.’
The company added logo-free bags are a ‘common practice’ in luxury stores selling expensive items.
Harrods is handing shoppers logo-free carrier bags in a bid to tackle mugging rates in London (File image of Harrods in London)
A recent customer of the store explained the new wrapping process to tackle theft.
‘After purchasing the item, I was told by the shop assistant that it would be wrapped first in branded packaging, and then placed in a much larger plain bag,’ they told The Telegraph.
It comes as at least 230 phones were stolen every day on average in the UK last year. This is twice as many as five years ago and the total is rising.
London is the epicentre, with 75 per cent of phone thefts, but the problem is nationwide, with every major police force recording thousands of stolen phones every year.
Even rural areas such as Suffolk, Lincolnshire and Gloucestershire cannot escape the problem.
Policing minister Sarah Jones, whose two sons have both been robbed by phone thieves, said: ‘Almost everyone knows somebody who has had their phone stolen in London.’
The Met is hosting an international conference with 27 other countries next May where countering phone theft measures will be discussed with politicians and policing leaders.
So far this year, personal robbery has dropped by 13 per cent and theft is down 14 per cent.
The Daily Mail has contacted Harrods, Selfridges and Van Cleef and Arpels for comment.
