The moment a woman apparently stuffs packets of sweets down her jacket in an independent shop in Swansea city centre has been captured on CCTV. Staff at Mazza Treatz in High Street allege the woman then left the store without paying.
They have shared the footage on social media and urged the woman concerned to return to the store and pay for the items she apparently took, or for anyone who recognises her to get in touch with the police, quoting reference number 2200 41 77 33. South Wales Police has since confirmed the incident is under investigation.
Co-owner of the business, Muz Ahmad, told WalesOnline that, while the exact circumstances of this incident were not fully known, shoplifting in general had real potential to destroy small, independent businesses - and made it even more difficult for them to survive the already tumultuous economic climate. "I'm not Tesco, I'm not a millionaire, I'm just one of two friends who owns a small sweets and treats shop on the High Street!" he said. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Mazza Treatz stocks a wide range of sweets and treats, many of which are imported from abroad. There are also a huge range of vegan, gluten-free and halal sweets, according to Muz.
The incident comes as staff at the shop are part-way through their '12 days of Mazza Christmas' give-away. Every day up to Christmas Eve, staff are hiding an envelope somewhere in the city - and the first person to find it and bring it back to the shop wins a prize! Previous prizes have included huge bags of sweets and vouchers for the store.
"We started our 12 days of Mazza Christmas last year and it was so popular we brought it back this year! Every day of the 12 days, we hide an envelope somewhere in Swansea - and then we post a video on our Facebook, Instagram and TikTok giving clues to where it is. The first person to find the envelope and bring it to us at the shop wins a prize," Muz explained. "In the week, we tend to put the video up after kids have finished school and on the weekend we do it earlier. It's become really popular with kids and their parents searching for the envelopes!
"Our whole shop is really different, it's bright and colourful, it's interactive. We wanted to give something back in a fun way - the kids love 12 Days of Mazza Christmas!"
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