Cardiff Queen Street: Shop owner had £25k of stock stolen

An owner of a vape shop on what was recently named Britain’s best high street has called it “unworthy” of the title after he had £25,000 of stock stolen.

Geraint, 33, said there had been four attempted break-ins at his shop Queen Street Vapes in Cardiff.

Queen Street took top prize in a consumer survey earlier this week run by GlobalData for American Express.

South Wales Police said it would continue to work to make Cardiff a “vibrant, safe and friendly” place.

Geraint, from Blackwood in Caerphilly county, owns shops in Swindon, Cwmbran, Abergavenny as well as his hometown, said he mainly worked in Cardiff because of the trouble he had dealt with.

He said: “It gets to the point where I have considered selling up and cutting my losses”.

“I struggle sleeping because of it, no CCTV or alarm system prevents them from getting in.”

Geraint posted a video on social media appearing to show three people taking vapes from his shop.

South Wales Police said a 37-year-old man had pleaded guilty to burglary and the other two suspects had not been identified.

Closer to the centre of the street, staff at Savers said theft and threats from shoplifters were a daily occurrence.

Ethan James Barnes, 20, who has worked at the Queen Street store for two years, said: “Just this morning someone came in and stole £118 worth of baby’s milk. You often get people stealing milk and laundry pods.”

He said police could not properly enforce the law due to the thefts being of low-value items.

“The only time the police have been involved is when I was slapped in the face,” he said.

South Wales Police said it dealt with “all shoplifters regardless of value” but outcomes may vary depending on circumstances.

Rhys Thomas, 25, has worked at Holland and Barrett on Queen Street for more than a year, and said staff had started wearing body cameras in that time.

“The main downside of the job is the violence,” he said.

“It’s a continuous cycle with the same reoffenders, they get violent and the police get involved but it doesn’t deter them, they keep coming back.”

South Wales Police said: “It’s real positive that Queen Street was recently named best high street in the UK, however we are sorry to hear the experiences of these city centre workers.

“Cardiff city centre remains a safe place but with an estimated half a million people passing through Queen Street and St Mary Street each week, unfortunately there will be incidents of crime and anti-social behaviour.”