The Daily Star recently had fun with the news that Londis stores have been forced to take bacon off the shelves after soaring prices made it the top target for shoplifters.

Cue amusing headlines about shoplifters getting “rasher” and selling on their booty for a “tasty” profit. But the story does have a serious side.

Last month a leaked letter from the Home Office warned that the economic downturn was likely to lead to a rise in “acquisitive crime”, as well as alcohol and tobacco smuggling.

This spells bad news for retailers, and for independents in particular.

According to the BRC, retailers lost a total of £830m through stolen goods last year. By my reckoning, about half of that would have been sustained by grocery outlets.

And last month’s Independent Retail News Bootlegging Survey showed independents have already lost a staggering £1.8bn in revenue during the past 12 months from smuggled and counterfeit tobacco and alcohol sales.

Some said they were losing more than £3,000 a week.

So, while the story might be good for the headline-writers, for independent retailers it’s definitely no joke.