Footage captures tradie’s alleged $12k meat theft as Drakes boss resorts to tagging packets with GPS trackers

A tradie has been caught pinching thousands of dollars’ worth of meat from a supermarket chain – as the company reveals its huge response.

A tradie has been captured on camera pinching more than $12,000 worth of meat from Aussie supermarket chain Drakes, allegedly filling his bags to the brim and walking out of a South Australian store without paying.

The CCTV has resulted in John-Paul Drake, the supermarket director of the billion dollar privately-owned grocery chain, to take the drastic measure of tagging meat packs with GPS trackers amid losses of up to $12m from stolen products every year.

Mr Drake claims the man in question took $12,000 worth of meat over 27 instances, with police investigating.

In one clip the man – dressed in high-vis – can be seen filling his bags to the brim with meat before leaving the store without paying.

Mr Drake told A Current Affair the supermarket’s premium meats were the target of increasing thefts.

“We know these products aren’t going to people in need, people in need don’t need wagyu or Angus pure beef to have on their tables,” he said

The grocer has taken to putting GPS trackers on meat products – believed to be the first to do so – and regularly uploads CCTV footage on social media of thefts.

Footage from a Drakes Supermarket showing a tradie filling his bag with meat. Picture: A Current Affair / Nine

Mr Drake said he had personally confronted a person trying to steal from an Adelaide outlet.

“I said, look mate I know things are tough out there but this is not the place to walk out with products like this.”

Drakes encompasses 18 private companies which operate 62 supermarkets in Queensland and South Australia, employing 5500 staff as of March 2021.

The entity operated 27 supermarkets with publicly listed Metcash, as of March 2021.

Drakes turned over more than $1 billion in 2020, as per government submissions.

Theft is increasing in supermarkets nationwide amid the cost of living crisis.

Drakes Supermarkets director John-Paul Drake said increased theft had led to the grocer putting trackers on meat packs. Picture: A Current Affair / Nine

Woolworths’ 2023 annual report says theft increased, and 474 supermarkets had been equipped with tighter scanning technology in response.

“A key challenge in F23 (financial year 2023) was rising cost‑of‑living pressures which impacted our customers and communities, and resulted in increased levels of theft and violence towards our team,” the report reads.

However, “the absence of covid costs across the supply chain and mix and growth in new businesses more than offset an increase in stock loss (theft).”

Woolworths’ net profit increased 4.6 per cent to $1.62bn for the financial year, as earnings rose nearly 20 per cent and shareholder dividends rose nine per cent to $0.58.

In their 2023 annual report, Coles similarly reported an increase in losses due to “elevated levels of organised retail crime and customer theft from cost of living pressures”.

Originally published as Footage captures tradie’s alleged $12k meat theft as Drakes boss resorts to tagging packets with GPS trackers