Retail crime is on the rise and the impact on staff, businesses and communities can be overwhelming, shows a Scottish retail industry's report released today (13), prompting calls from retailers for urgent support.
Figures published in the SGF Crime Report & Safer Business Guide 2024/25, reveal the appalling escalation in retail crime in recent years is only getting worse, while the sector continues to call for urgent action from government.
Findings gathered from convenience retailers all over Scotland by the trade association show that almost two thirds of stores (62.5 per cent) now have at least one member of staff who has experienced mental health and wellbeing issues as a result retail crime.
While 83.5 per cent of those surveyed report an increase in violence toward shop workers.
Adding to that, the average cost of retail crime skyrocketed to £19,673 per store in 2024-25 (up 38 per cent from the previous year).
Scaling up the sample to represent all 5,220 convenience stores in Scotland, this accounts for an annual cost of approximately £102.7 million which is crippling the sector.
Information gathered for the report and published during the SGF annual Crime Seminar, being held at Doubletree by Hilton, Edinburgh, shows that almost all (99.8 per cent) convenience retailers agree that shoplifting has increased in the past year, while 99.5 per cent say that shoplifting is now a daily occurrence.
More than eight out of every ten stores report that Hate Crime occurs once a month, while almost all say that violence against staff occurs at least once a month (83.3 per cent and 99.6 per cent respectively).
Likewise, almost all (98.8 per cent) of respondents also report experiencing weekly incidents of abuse when refusing a sale or when asking for proof of age.
SGF Chief Executive, Dr Pete Cheema OBE, said, “The reality for many shop workers across Scotland is that each time they go to work, they risk being assaulted, stabbed, spat on, threatened, or abused.
"Our latest Crime Report which has been published at the SGF Crime Seminar in Edinburgh today, shows the true extent of crime devastating the Scottish convenience sector.
“Across every metric, retail crime is on the rise and the impact on staff, businesses and communities can be overwhelming. That is why we have named our event today ‘Retail Crime - A Threat We Can’t Ignore!’, and our question to the government is, what will it take for decision makers to act?
“Retailers desperately need urgent support, now. The police and courts can’t cope, and many crimes are going unreported because retailers don’t believe the authorities will respond.
"Offenders know they’re unlikely to face any consequences for their crimes and even if they are arrested, many will spend years awaiting conviction.
“Finally, I want to thank everyone who helped make today’s event a reality, we have some wonderful speakers from the likes of Police Scotland, Facewatch and Holyrood. Without their support and the support of our members and sponsors, SGF would not have the impact we do.”
Analysis of the data also reveals a fall in confidence in the Scottish Justice System to tackle the growing problem of retail crime. With, for example, almost half (48.2 per cent) of respondents saying they are either unlikely or very unlikely to report shoplifting incidents to the police.
Lauren Carrol
