Theft and violence against retail workers in Britain soared to record levels last year and are "out of control", driven partly by criminal gangs, according to a report published on Thursday.
Industry body the British Retail Consortium's (BRC) annual crime survey found more than 20 million incidents of theft were committed in the year to 31 August 2024, which equates to 55,000 a day, costing retailers a total £2.2 billion.
There were 16 million incidents in the previous year.
The BRC said many more incidents in the latest period were linked to organised crime, with gangs systematically targeting stores across the country.
Incidents of violence and abuse in 2023/24 climbed to over 2,000 per day, up from 1,300 the year before. This is more than three times what it was in 2020, when there were just 455 incidents a day.
Incidents included racial or sexual abuse, physical assault or threats with weapons. There were 70 incidents per day which involved a weapon, more than double the previous year.
"Retail crime is spiralling out of control. People in retail have been spat on, racially abused, and threatened with machetes. Every day this continues, criminals are getting bolder and more aggressive," said Helen Dickinson, head of the BRC.
Satisfaction with the police response to incidents remains low, with 61 per cent of respondents describing it as "poor" or "very poor", the report showed.
"With little faith in police attendance, it is no wonder criminals feel they have a licence to steal, threaten, assault and abuse," said Dickinson.
The BRC said the amount spent on crime prevention also hit a record high, with retailers investing £1.8 billion on measures such as CCTV, security personnel, anti-theft devices and body-worn cameras, up from £1.2 billion in 2022/23.
The Labour government has pledged to address the rise in retail crime through stronger measures to tackle shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. It also plans to introduce a standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker.
“Staff are working in fear of the next incident of abuse, threats or violence,” Paddy Lillis, general secretary of trade union union Usdaw, said.
“We have campaigned along with the BRC for substantial legislative measures to combat this growing problem and we are pleased that the government will be introducing the Crime and Policing Bill, which will meet our aims. That is only part of the fightback against the criminals and we will continue to work closely with retailers to deliver respect for shop workers.”
Commenting, Katie Secretan, retail and sales director at Nisa, said the “shocking” shoplifting figures in the report reflect the tough reality independent shop owners are facing across the country.
“And this is something we hear day after day from our Nisa retailers,” Secretan added. “Unlike larger multiples, smaller businesses don’t have the security resources to rely on so they’re not only suffering from financial losses, they’re facing daily threats to the safety of themselves and their staff. Without urgent action from law enforcement and policymakers, we risk losing some of these local businesses and entrepreneurs who form the backbone of our communities.”
Responding to the report, the police said they had made progress in 2024.
“Over the last year we have made significant strides in our fight against retail crime, strengthening relationships with retailers and greatly improving information sharing which has resulted in a number of high harm offenders being brought to justice,” Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss, the National Police Chiefs’ Council's lead for retail crime, said.
Meanwhile, industry charity GroceryAid reminded those working in the sector on the support on hand should they be affected.
“If you work in the grocery industry and your store has been affected by the rise in retail crime across the UK, our Workplace Critical Incident support can help,” the charity said in a statement following the release of the BRC report.
“Colleagues in need of emotional support during this difficult time can call our FREE and confidential Helpline, where you can speak to a trained counsellor, anytime on 08088 021 122.”
The charity can also arrange for on-site trauma counsellors to visit the stores and provide support to the team. For more information, visit: https://www.groceryaid.org.uk/help/workplace-critical-incident/.
