Interiors brand director Philip Hunter has stressed the importance of having staff on-stand at all times following an alleged £10,000 furniture theft from an exhibitor at The NEC.

UK-based Ashley Furniture claims 18 items of furniture by designer Jean-Luc Grazzi were pilfered during the breakdown stage of UBM Built Environment’s Interiors show on 26 January.

“We are very sorry to hear about the theft from the Ashley Furniture stand that took place at Interiors in January,” said Hunter. “Although we implement a 24hr security system and take every precaution to ensure situations like this do not take place, we cannot guarantee the security of the contents of each stand, particularly at times during breakdown and build up when products are continuously being taken in and out of the halls.”

Although The NEC provides CCTV coverage and night-time patrols, and UBM Built Environment can arrange special security for individual stands, responsibility ultimately lies with the exhibitor, Hunter said.

“While the show is open, and especially during build-up and breakdown, we recommend that products are not left unattended. We certainly do not condone this type of incident,” he added. “We are assured that the police are doing all they can to find whoever was involved.”

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