Alamy

INDIA'S retailers suffer the highest levels of theft, according to the “Global Retail Theft Barometer” survey of 41 countries. Losses from a combination of shoplifting, worker and supplier theft, and accounting errors amounted to 3% of all retail sales. This “shrinkage” cost global retailers almost $115 billion in 2009, up by 5.9% from the previous year. Much of this increase was caused by a rise in shoplifting, particularly in America and Europe. Branded clothes and fashion accessories were the most prized items globally, with items for the car and home-improvement goods a close second. In Europe the most pilfered grocery item is luxury cooked meat.