MRA In The News

Shoplifting rates in the three largest U.S. cities — New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — remain higher than they were before the pandemic, according to a report last month from the nonpartisan research group Council on Criminal Justice. The sharp rise in retail theft in recent years has made shoplifting a hot-button issue, especially for politicians looking to address public safety concerns in their communities. Since 2020, when viral videos of smash-and-grab robberies flooded social media during the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans have expressed fears that crime is out of control. Polls show that perceptions have improved recently, but a majority of Americans still say crime is worse than in previous years. ... Policy experts say shoplifting and organized retail theft can significantly harm critical industries, drive up costs for consumers and reduce sales tax revenue for states. Those worries have driven recent state-level action to boost penalties for shoplifting. ... In New Jersey, a bipartisan bill making its way through the legislature would increase penalties for leading a shoplifting ring and allow extended sentences for repeat offenders. “This bill is going after a formally organized band of criminals that deliver such destruction to a critical business in our community. We have to act. We have to create a deterrence,” Democratic Assemblymember Joseph Danielsen, one of the bill’s prime sponsors, said in an interview with Stateline. The legislation would allow extended sentences for people convicted of shoplifting three times within 10 years or within 10 years of their release from prison, and would increase penalties to 10 to 20 years in prison for leading a retail crime ring. The bill also would allow law enforcement to aggregate the value of stolen goods over the course of a year to charge serial shoplifters with more serious offenses. Additionally, the bill would increase penalties for assaults committed against retail workers, and would require retailers to train employees on detecting gift card scams. Maryland legislators considered a similar bill during this year’s legislative session that would have defined organized retail theft and made it a felony. The bill didn’t make it out of committee, but Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance, said the group plans to propose a bill during next year’s legislative session that would target gift card fraud. Click here to read the full article from the New Jersey Monitor.

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As the new year approaches, several legislative proposals stand to impact Maryland residents and businesses. The Griffin Report recently visited with Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance , to find out more about what’s in store for 2025. Locklair has spent nearly 20 years in state and local politics, advocating on the state budget, labor issues, retail crime and taxes on behalf of the alliance. For her efforts, Locklair – who also heads the Maryland Association of Chain Drug Stores, and the Maryland Food Industry Council – recently received the 2024 J. Thomas Weyant Award from the National Retail Federation. In addition, Locklair is a past chair of the Council of State Retail Associations and a member of the Leadership Maryland Program Class of 2024. When reviewing the events of the past year, what stands out the most? The past eight months have been extraordinarily active on the legislative front locally. Maryland now has almost 20 jurisdictions with separate bag laws, and we have seen a variety of bills impacting the industry introduced. Some passed, including shopping cart legislation, electric vehicle-charging station mandates and even regulations on garbage cans. Legislators at the state level have reached out on issues of concern, including food waste and sell-by and use-by dates. Discussions about beer and wine in food retail are ongoing. It’s been said Maryland is experiencing retail growth. Do you agree? Yes and no. It depends on where in the state we are talking about. For example, generally speaking, Maryland’s population continues to slowly grow. So in areas where there is population growth, we have seen quite a few new grocery stores in those areas. However, in areas of the state losing population and struggling with issues like organized retail crime, we have seen some closures with more currently being considered. Is the growth attracting a disproportionately number of new retailers selling groceries to the state? Maryland is a chain-heavy state, but we have many thriving independents as well. That said, we are not seeing rapid expansion of any retailers per se, and the newest chain that came into our market occurred in 2018. What are independent retailers doing to hold onto their share of market? Regardless of the type of retail format you operate, in-store experiences and in-store sales remain key to attracting consumers in Maryland and elsewhere. What key issues are poised to impact grocers in 2025? With the state’s next legislative session starting in January, the industry can expect to see a slew of legislative proposals from new taxes, another increase to the minimum wage, an extended producer responsibility study results and other mandates impacting food retailers. What role will the Maryland Retailers Alliance play? Each year, an increasing number of mandates and cost increases are introduced at the legislative level so being involved and lending our voice is critical to mitigating some very damming laws. Congratulations on being recognized by NRF this year for your two decades of ­advocacy contributions. Were you surprised? I was extremely surprised and humbled to be recognized. My colleagues in our industry have been invaluable to the work we do and I’m lucky to call many of them friends.

12 Scams of Christmas

Maryland's top legal officer announces the takedown of a major retail theft ring on Monday. Four suspects were arrested and indicted in the case, which is being prosecuted in Howard County circuit court. The four suspects are accused of running a retail theft ring across at least six counties, including Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Howard. Donte Shaw, Taquan Neal, Samuel Whitmire Jr. and Antonio Polite are accused of targeting retailers like Ulta and Dicks Sporting Goods and shopping centers like Arundel Mills Mall and The Mall in Columbia, police said. The four are accused of stealing at least $800,000 in merchandise during at least 37 different thefts. Court documents state the group targeted the same Sunglass Hut at The Mall in Columbia four separate times last spring, stealing more than $101,000 of luxury and designer goods. "Starting with lost sales tax revenue to the state, that's probably one of the big ones for the state and communities to really think about," said Cailey Locklair with the Maryland Retailers Alliance. The Maryland Retailers Alliance said the kind of criminal activity alleged in the case impacts consumers statewide. "To increased prices on the goods that we all pay for, and combined with inflation, that should be very concerning for folks," Locklair said. Click here to read the full article from WBAL-TV .

Hunt Valley Towne Centre has seen a double-digit increase in property crime this year, police data shows. Crime statistics obtained by FOX45 through a public information request reveal an approximately 18.3% increase in reported property incidents when comparing Jan. 1 to Sept. 30 for the years 2023 and 2024. There was a small bump in reported robbery, burglary, and theft in the 100 block of Shawan Road in Cockeysville, the location of the Hunt Valley Towne Centre. The outdoor mall’s highest reported crime, shoplifting, increased from 130 incidents in 2023 to 154 in 2024 during the same period. Meanwhile, credit card and ATM fraud at the shopping center surged by 700%. Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Association, told FOX45 that the trends in Hunt Valley illustrate a significant issue facing the future of retail.  “Theft steadily increases year over year nationally and throughout Maryland,” Locklair said. “We know this via individual member numbers they provide to us and a yearly study by the National Retail Federation.” Click here to read the full article from the Baltimore Sun .

Certain businesses in Prince George’s County may have to step up their security soon.A bill called the Late Night Safety Plan is making its way through the County Council right now - but there are some objections before it passes. Councilmember Krystal Oriadha, who represents District 7, introduced the bill back in March. This week, it passed through a committee and is on its way to a public hearing before a final vote. The goal, Oriadha said, is to combat a crime wave that is making the entire community feel unsafe. ... As part of the bill, businesses have to come up with a safety plan if they're open between the hours of 12 a.m. and 4 a.m. – the original legislation had the timeframe from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. That could include anything from extra lighting and surveillance cameras to staff training and adding on-site security. They then have to submit that plan to local law enforcement for review and approval and renew it every three years. And if they don't - they cannot operate during those overnight hours. The legislation mandates that the plans will be individualized for each business. ... In mid-September, neighboring Montgomery County started requiring businesses to have a late-night safety plan, as well. The difference is that theirs applies to businesses between the hours of 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. The Maryland Restaurant Association and the Maryland Retailers Alliance have both asked Prince George's County Council to amend the current bill to those same times. "We definitely understand the intention to make sure that both customers and employees at these businesses are provided with a safe environment overnight," said Sarah Price with the Maryland Retailers Alliance. But, she said, they are hoping the council will be more transparent and provide more clarity to businesses about expectations moving forward. She added that many of the businesses that are open overnight are meeting a need within the community. Click here to read the full article from Fox 5 DC .

Shopping carts are at the center of new legislation in Prince George's County, Maryland. Residents say they've found shopping carts at apartment complexes, near dumpsters, on the side of the road and other unusual places. “In New Carollton, they’ll take a cart from somewhere and they come and leave it at my door,” one woman told News4. “I think it’s an eyesore, seeing all of the carts in the parking lots, in neighborhoods, in apartment buildings. That needs to stop," another woman said. Prince George's County leaders said they want the carts to come to a halt. “Abandonment of shopping carts, which can seem very like a nuisance or a random issue, but it’s really gotten exasperated, the amount of shopping carts that are in our community,” Council member Wanika Fisher said she decided to sponsor a proposal after a cart landed in her yard. She said she's received several complaints from residents in her district. ... Fisher's Shopping Cart Control Bill would require retailers to implement preventative measures to keep people from taking carts off store property and dumping them somewhere else. Retailers with more than 20 shopping carts would have to label and equip them with anti-theft measures and establish timelines to retreive the carts. Businesses that don't comply would face a $2,000 fine, Fisher said. “Keep retailers responsible for the carts that they utilize in their business,” Fisher said. The Maryland Retailers Alliance agreed cart theft is an issue and safeguards are needed. However, the group opposes the fine. “It ultimately comes across as businesses being held financially responsible for crimes that are committed against and on their property,” said Sarah Price, with the Maryland Retailers Alliance.  Click here to read the full article from NBC Washington.

Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman visited Berlin retailers Thursday afternoon to promote Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week, which ends Saturday. The comptroller was joined by Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance, Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall, Berlin’s Director of Economic and Community Development Ivy Wells and Berlin Town Administrator Mary Bohlen. During Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week, shoppers in Maryland can buy qualifying clothing and shoes priced at $100 less without paying the state’s 6% sales tax. The first $40 of backpack sales are also not subject to sales tax. ... Click here to read more about the visit from delmarva now .