Greggs has removed self-service display cabinets from stores most affected by shoplifting, with staff now handing over products from behind theft-proof counters. The trial is underway in branches in Croydon, Peckham, Whitechapel, Upton Park, Birmingham, and Wilford.
The move comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepares to announce new measures to tackle a shoplifting epidemic, including a new offence for assaulting retail workers. Official figures show shoplifting offences in England and Wales exceeded half a million last year for the first time.
Starmer will say on Monday: “Working people – grafters – go to work, do the right thing, keep our high streets thriving and yet too often they are abused or assaulted by people who think they can get away with it and just cheat the system. It’s disgraceful.” He will also highlight the scrapping of effective immunity for thefts under £200, calling it a “shoplifters’ charter”.
Greggs is also introducing software systems that supply information directly to police stations. The British Retail Consortium reported 5.5 million shoplifting incidents in the past year, costing the industry £400 million, with 36 daily incidents of violence involving weapons against shop workers.
Greggs said in a statement: “This is one of a number of initiatives we are trialling across a very small number of shops which are exposed to higher levels of antisocial behaviour.”
