The Shoplifting Epidemic in the UK has become a fear for shopkeepers and ordinary people, who are no longer safe. The British Retail Consortium (BRC), in partnership with market research firm Opinium, found that 24% of respondents had observed shoplifting. Meanwhile, 23% had witnessed incidents of abuse toward retail workers. The BRC estimates crime cost retailers £4.2 billion last year, including £2.2 billion from shoplifting.
Retail crime is “out of control.” Shoplifters are carrying out increasingly brazen and violent acts of theft, and they do not fear any consequences. The rise in shoplifting has partly resulted from a squeeze on household finances amid high inflation in recent years.
Shoplifting Epidemic in the UK: No Shop is Safe
The British Retail Consortium (BRC), in partnership with market research firm Opinium, found that 24% of respondents had observed shoplifting. Meanwhile, 23% had witnessed incidents of abuse toward retail workers. Offences hit a record high as 23% of people in the UK say they have seen shop shoplifters abuse or assault staff. A similar proportion (23%) have seen thefts to physically or verbally abuse shop staff. It included racial or sexual abuse, physical assault, or threats with weapons.
Meanwhile, there were over 20 million shoplifting incidents, equal to over 55,000 daily cases. The BRC said retailers lost £2.2bn to theft over the year, up from £2.1bn a year earlier. It said that gangs are linked to a growing number of these crimes. Verbal and physical attacks, violent threats, and sexual and racial abuse in shops soared to more than 2,000 incidents a day. The number is up from 1,300 the previous year and more than three times the 2020 level.
Shoplifting Epidemic in the UK: Shoplifting In Cities
The figures in a British Retail Consortium (BRC) survey equate to some 16 million people seeing such incidents. Nottingham in the East Midlands emerged as a UK hotspot for retail crime, with 32% of residents reporting shoplifting incidents. London followed closely behind with 29%, then Southampton (28%), Leeds (26%) and Manchester (25%). Meanwhile, Plymouth and Belfast saw the least at 12% and 13%, respectively.
In contrast, Liverpool, Brighton, and Sheffield reported lower levels of shop theft than other major cities. When it comes to abuse, customers in London witnessed the most incidents of a physical or verbal nature at 30%. Nottingham and Liverpool were second at 29%, with Manchester at 27% of customers.
Shoplifting Epidemic in the UK: Shoplifting Hits A Record
The Association of Convenience Stores 2025 Crime Report revealed that the UK’s local shops recorded an estimated record 6.2 million shopliftings. The shoplifting epidemic in the UK is up from 5.6 million in the previous year. There were more than 59,000 incidents of violence in the convenience sector and 1.2 million incidents of verbal abuse.
The BRC estimates crime cost retailers £4.2 billion last year, including £2.2 billion from shoplifting. They also spent £1.8 billion on crime prevention measures such as CCTV, security personnel, anti-theft devices, and body-worn cameras. That is equivalent to adding at least 6p to every store transaction by customers. The Crime and Policing Bill proposes a separate offence of assaulting a retail worker. It proposed a maximum sentence of six months and removed the £200 low-value limit for shoplifting.
Shoplifting Epidemic in the UK: Shoplifters Become More Aggressive
The shoplifting epidemic in the UK has also caused more aggression. BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said that seeing shoplifting has become an all-too-common part of the shopping experience for many people. She said an incident can have life-long consequences on those who experience it, making them think twice about visiting their local high streets.
“Criminals are becoming bolder and more aggressive. Therefore, the situation needs decisive action to put an end to it. The Crime and Policing Bill is crucial in providing additional protections to retail workers. However, its current proposed form does not afford all retail workers the same protections as those working in Scotland. The Bill must protect everyone in customer-facing roles in the industry.
Shoplifting Epidemic in the UK: Kamikaze Shoplifters
Retail crime is “out of control.” Shoplifters are carrying out increasingly brazen and violent acts of theft. Moreover, they do not fear any consequences. The Shoplifting Epidemic in the UK even has some common names and types. In some cases, offenders openly clear shelves of items in full view of customers and shop workers. It is a tactic sometimes known as “kamikaze” shoplifting.
The figures published in the annual crime survey from BRC represented more than 200 major retailers. The survey used a sample of retailers representing over 1.1 million employees and a market turnover of more than £194bn. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) revealed that shoplifting offences reported by police in England and Wales rose by 23%. It is more than 492,000 over the same period. A survey by Usdaw, the shopworkers’ union, found that 77% of retail staff experienced abuse, 53% threats, and 10% assault.
Shoplifting Epidemic in the UK: Labour Neglecting Shoplifting
It comes after Labour pledged to crack down on shop offences, saying it would end the “shameful neglect” of retail crime. The Government is introducing new laws to deter criminals. Under the Crime and Sentencing Bill, shoplifters who assault store workers will face up to six months in jail.
Lord Foster of Bath, the House of Lords justice chairman, urged the Government to make a new rule. To prevent people from stealing from shops and reselling products, the government must introduce new rules for selling items anonymously online.
Shoplifting Epidemic in the UK: Weak Reaction of Police
Often, stores report crimes when they have CCTV or some other evidence, such as catching criminals in the act. However, retailers have been critical of how the police respond to call-outs. In the BRC survey, 61% of those who answered described the police response to incidents as “poor” or “very poor.” With little faith in police attendance, criminals feel they have a license to steal, threaten, assault, and abuse.
According to official figures, the police received 469,788 shoplifting offences in the year to June, up almost 29% from the previous year’s total of 365,173. However, just one in six thefts results in a shoplifter being caught and charged. Meanwhile, Ministry of Justice research suggests that shoplifters are more likely than any other type of offender to re-offend after conviction.
Poverty and Shoplifting
The Shoplifting Epidemic in the UK also relates to people’s money problems. The rise in shoplifting has partly resulted from a squeeze on household finances amid high inflation in recent years. However, retailers said the uptick was down to organized gangs stealing to order. They said retail had been a soft target since the 2014 law change in England and Wales. The change meant those stealing goods worth less than £200 are usually spared any jail time.
Paul Gerrard, the public affairs director at the Co-op, said that shoplifting experienced a 44% rise in retail crime last year. People entered stores with a builder’s bag to steal the entire confectionery, spirits, or meat section. Major retailers have also been accused of fuelling the rise in crime by cutting back the number of staff in stores. For instance, they cut back security to keep costs down.
