2026-08-27
Police in southern England are asking for the public’s help after 17 bottles of Champagne worth about £850 were stolen from a Waitrose supermarket in Havant, Hampshire, in what investigators say was a single shoplifting incident.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said the theft happened at about 12:10 p.m. on Monday, July 27, at the store on North Street. According to the force, a man entered the supermarket and left with the bottles, whose combined value was put at £850.
The police force has now released a CCTV image of a man officers want to identify and speak to as part of the investigation. The appeal was made public on August 24, nearly a month after the reported theft.
In a statement, the constabulary said it was issuing the image after a shoplifting incident in Havant and asked anyone who recognizes the man, or who has information that could help the inquiry, to contact police by calling 101 and citing reference number 44260358078.
Authorities have not said which Champagne labels were taken. They also have not disclosed whether any of the bottles have been recovered.
The case highlights the continued targeting of higher-value alcohol in retail thefts. While this incident involved a smaller amount than some recent wine-related crimes in Britain, it fits a wider pattern in which premium bottles are treated as easy-to-resell goods.
Based on the total value provided by police, the average cost of each bottle taken was about £50. That places the theft well above the level of routine shoplifting involving low-cost items and suggests the suspect selected goods with a relatively high resale value.
Waitrose, the upmarket British supermarket chain, is known for carrying a broad range of wine and Champagne, including both large commercial brands and more expensive bottles. Police have not said whether the Champagne was taken from an open shelf, a locked display, or a controlled area of the store.
The force has limited its public comments to the timing of the incident, the number of bottles allegedly stolen, the overall value of the goods, and the release of the CCTV image. No details have been provided about how the bottles were removed from the store or whether officers believe the suspect acted alone.
The Havant case comes after other alcohol theft investigations in the United Kingdom drew attention because of the value and unusual methods involved. In one widely reported case last year, a London pedicab driver admitted stealing about £24,000 worth of fine wine from a restaurant in the City of London. In that investigation, police said 73 bottles were taken from a restaurant on Threadneedle Street in May 2025 and loaded into a wheelie bin attached to a tuk-tuk before the suspect rode away. Officers later said the man returned and stole three more bottles worth about £680 in a separate burglary.
That earlier case was solved in part through CCTV footage, which helped police trace the suspect and document how the stolen wine was moved. As in the Havant inquiry, surveillance images played a central role in the public appeal.
Retailers across Britain have faced persistent concerns over shoplifting, especially thefts involving goods that are expensive, portable and easy to sell. Alcohol, cosmetics and certain grocery items have all been frequent targets. Supermarkets and other chains have increasingly relied on surveillance systems, security tags and locked cabinets for premium products, though thefts continue.
For now, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is focusing on identifying the man shown in the image released this week. The investigation remains active, and officers are urging witnesses or anyone with relevant information to come forward.