Man charged with coordinating supermarket thefts

Large amounts of baby formula, medication, cosmetics, vitamins, clothing and electrical appliances were found during the raids on a Sunshine North home in Melbourne's suburbs on August 25, police said.

A 34-year-old Sunshine North man was allegedly paying associates to steal the product lines over a period of months.

Police said he sold the items to local and international buyers.

An imitation gun and more than $3000 in cash was seized during the search, police said.

The Sunshine North man was charged with handling stolen goods, dealing with property suspected being proceeds of crime, knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime and possessing a prohibited and controlled weapon.

He was bailed to appear before Sunshine Magistrates' Court on February 12, 2024.

This comes after Coles and Woolworths released their profit reports on August 22 and 23, with Coles citing an industry-wide surge in shoplifting for lower profits than would otherwise be expected.

A spate of thefts contributed to a 20 per cent increase in stock losses at Coles, chief executive Leah Weckert said on August 22.

"We're certainly seeing a lot more reports coming through from stores where they see a loss that is quite large and targeted," Ms Weckert said.

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"But we have also seen an increase in the organised crime side of stock loss as well, which is more coordinated and tends to focus on products in non-food areas, affecting large amounts [of stock] at the one time."

Coles said they're looking at addressing the issue by increasing security at stores and introducing initiatives such as trolley locks and smart gates.