Small business owner appeals after £5,000 of stock stolen

A “DEVASTATED” small business owner is appealing for people to be on the look out for thousands of pounds of stolen clothing.

Ms Green started Green Inc Co in 2020 with her partner as a way to brighten up the gloomy days of the pandemic.

She now sells her handmade pieces, many of which are in her distinctive tie-dye style, on Etsy and at festivals and markets across the country.

After working at markets over the Easter weekend, Ms Green said she and her team took the Bank Holiday Monday off, leaving several thousand pounds worth of stock in a padlocked van near their studio in Freestone Road.

Upon return on Tuesday, Ms Green says noticed the padlock was missing. She said: “The inside had just been completely ravaged. All of our stock had been taken.”

Ms Green estimates the total stock stolen was worth between £4,000 and £5,000. As a result, she says any takings in the coming months will need to be used to remake the lost items in time for the lucrative summer festival season.

Although Ms Green hadn’t had a chance to sew labels into all the stolen stock, she is hopeful that their distinctive design may lead to it being identified should the thieves attempt to sell it.

She said: “If somebody spots our stuff, I would like to get the stuff recovered if we can. But I’d like for them not to be able to do it to other people, as well. Because if they’re going to do it to me, then they’re definitely going to be scumbags that do it to other small businesses and continuously ruin people’s lives. Which is really not good.”