WINNIPEG -- A rise in violent crime and theft in Winnipeg is leaving retailers worried, as it's not just affecting their bottom line -- but their safety as well.
On Friday morning, Manitoba businesses met for a roundtable discussion to deal with the rash of thefts and violent robberies that have rocked the retail industry.
"You go home wondering, is everything going to be okay at the store tonight?" said Kevin Schmidt, owner of Downtown Family Foods. "Are staff concerned about things, do they feel comfortable here?"
Schmidt added he has talked with his staff about these issues before.
The discussion organized by the Retail Council of Canada, included a coalition of businesses, security professionals, law enforcement and the province.
The RCC estimated $200 million was shoplifted from Manitoba stores last year, which has resulted in higher costs for retailers and shoppers.
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The Manitoba Retail Crime Round Table is looking for a solution to the spike in crimes.
The calls for a retail crime summit in Manitoba came days after a violent attack at a Liquor Mart in Winnipeg, when three employees at the Tyndall Park location were physically assaulted.
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"Every community across Canada is dealing with this, but what is particularly concerning is the more brazen, prolific crime and the repeat offenders that are increasingly more organized," said John Graham, the director of government relations at the RCC.
Graham said the issue goes far beyond liquor stores.
"We have the ability to work collaboratively to affect change in this issue, and to limit it to a liquor mart issue was shortchanging our community."
Cliff Cullen, minister of justice and the attorney general, was at the meeting and said it's an important step to solving the problem.
"There's no simple solution. There's no one answer for the challenges we face. That is why I think it's so important we get everyone at the table and have this discussion," said Cullen.
Although in early discussions, one solution out of the meeting is for retailers to share photos of suspects with each other and law enforcement.
"We can build a network of sharing of intelligence and from there, obviously apprehend individuals who are allegedly responsible for thefts and frauds within our store," said Marco Oddesa, the regional loss prevention manager at Best Buy.
As for Kevin Schmidt and his small grocery store, he thinks answers are still a long way down the road.
"I don't think it's changes that we can implement and that will work right away. Every store is set up differently and unique. We are a small store, so what works here won't work at a Walmart," said Schmidt.
A "what we heard" document will be released in the coming weeks, summarizing the solutions and creating some recommendations for retailers and government officials.
-with files from CTV's Danton Unger
