James Frith MP connects with Currys to discuss retail crime, digital inclusion and technology investment

James Frith, Member of Parliament for Bury North, visited Currys at Woodfields Retail Park in Bury recently to meet the retailer's store colleagues, and hear about combatting rising retail crime, as well as helping to eradicate digital poverty.

Currys is investing a record amount in store safety measures, including the introduction of VoCoVo headsets to keep colleagues better connected and therefore safer on the shopfloor.

During the visit, Frith observed the new headsets in action, as well as hearing firsthand from store colleagues the impact it’s had on helping them feel safe.

He also heard about Currys’ efforts on a local and national scale to help tackle digital poverty alongside charity partner the Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA) through Pennies donations in-store. This allows customers to donate to the DPA when buying products, with the milestone of two million customer donations reached in December 2024, totalling over £700k nationwide.

As part of its support for the DPA, and its goal of helping eradicate digital poverty by 2030, Currys announced in March that it will donate a proportion of every online sale of refurbished tech, across its mobile and computing categories, to the DPA, the funds going towards helping those living in digital poverty across the UK.

“It was brilliant to visit the Bury Currys store, meet my constituents, and talk with the team about the importance of tackling retail crime. It’s vital that stores across the UK are a safe and secure environment to work and shop in, and I commend Currys on their investment in innovative solutions to help tackle this important issue. I will continue to work closely with the police and local authorities to ensure we do everything possible to protect our communities," says Frith.

“I was pleased to hear about the work they are undertaking to help eradicate digital poverty. Access to digital services is crucial to give everyone the confidence and skills to thrive, and I commend Currys on their work in this important area, especially their collaboration with the Government on DSIT’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan."

“We loved hosting James in-store, was great to discuss the rising rates of retail crime and Currys’ contribution to customers and colleagues in his constituency. We welcome and support the government’s commitment to making aggression towards retail colleagues a specific standalone crime," says Mark Ridge, Regional Manager at Currys.

"It’s a positive first step, but we won’t stop until the deterrents outweigh the gains for those who choose to come into our stores to steal, or who behave unacceptably towards colleagues. I’m hopeful we’ll be able to welcome the local police in-store to talk more about this with us, and will host James again soon.”

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

In-store technology will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.