With an estimated worth of £110.4 billion to the UK’s economy, the statistics on the importance of retail so often speak for themselves. It’s also a haven of employment, with the latest figures finding that around 2.7 million people across the country contribute towards the astronomical £517 billion UK retailers saw over the course of 2024.
However, while they’re less in the public eye, retail crime statistics are no less shocking. In fact, there are mounting concerns around a rapidly inflating rate of shoplifting, hazy laws around retail worker abuse, and dwindling confidence in the capacity to deal with crime in the retail sector. That’s only the tip of the proverbial iceberg – grim realities swirl beneath.
Our latest exposé lays bare the epidemic of crime that’s swept our retailers – both big and small – in the last decade or so, and how, without reactive and judicious action, it could spell disaster for those most at risk. We’ll also explore what retailers are doing to stem the tide, and what that could mean for a future in retail.
We’ve picked just a few of the key statistics on retail crime, what they show us, and why they’re such a point of concern for those involved in the sector.
Arguably the main issue many think of when imagining crime in the retail sector, the sheer extent of customer theft isn’t perhaps as well known. Many of us will no doubt have seen and heard the stories of companies haemorrhaging money through theft, with high streets so often destitute as a result.
It’s only with the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC’s) latest report that that’s brought into the cold light of day. Throughout 2024, there were an eye-watering 20.4 million incidents of customer theft – a rise of 22.2%, and another concerning spike in what’s fast becoming the most prevalent crime in Britain.
Budgets are bearing the brunt of that, too, which is trickling down indirectly to customers. That same BRC report revealed that losses through customer theft alone amounted to more than £2 billion – a rise of around 11% when compared with the previous year’s £1.8 billion losses.
Those figures are astronomical, but it’s the smaller businesses that are the hardest hit. They see a disproportionate amount of theft, with the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) estimating that theft from convenience retailers costs around £4,946 per store.
In a time when profit margins are slim, and many are still in the post-pandemic recovery process, that can mean the difference between staying open and closing up shop. That’s become a worry for many, with a piece from The Guardian leading with the eye-opening stat that the UK lost 37 shops every day in 2024.
While retail crime statistics aren’t granular enough to determine how much of a role customer theft played in the demise of those 13,479 high street shops, it’s fair to say that theft hasn’t helped the cause. Rising bills and rising crime rates across the UK all coagulate to become an impasse for those in the industry.
In truth, it’s incredibly difficult to narrow down the reason behind the inexorable rise in customer theft. While the cost of living crisis, fluctuating fuel prices, and tightening budgets all play a role, it’s equally true that none of these can be solely attributed as the only cause.
Our recent deep dive into supermarket theft drew similar conclusions and cast light on the problem points facing some of the nation’s larger retailers. One thing to note, however, is the figures on inflation – cited by many as the driving factor behind the opportunistic desire to thieve, and the pervasiveness of organised crime gangs.
This has seen a well-documented rise over the last few years, before seeing a more modest downturn over 2023 and 2024. It’s there that we find the root cause of many prices climbing ever higher and one of the main drivers behind the decision to steal. Prices are much higher than they used to be and haven’t yet seen the reduction many would hope for.
This is by no means a justification but perhaps could be an indicator of why people are turning to theft as a last-ditch effort to keep pace.
While theft is so often the focus of any retail crime statistic report, it’s not the only concern for those in the sector. In fact, the British Retail Consortium finds that, for those at the heart of retail, theft is understandably second fiddle to violence, abuse and threatening behaviour.
88% of those surveyed cited the threat of violence or abuse as one of their 3 biggest concerns when working in a retail environment, compared with 79% who placed theft in those positions. Approximately 50% placed violence against staff as their primary concern – a damning indictment of the state of the retail sector and the customers that use it.
This isn’t news, though – the BRC reports that these have “remained constant over the years”. What is news, however, is how much the incidents of violence and abuse have risen, with statistics in verbal abuse (abuse that warrants being reported as serious) soaring by 60% to 696,000 incidents in 23/24 – around 1,906 incidents every day.
Incidents where violence was used also increased when compared with the previous year – 45,260 incidents (or 124 a day), up by 8% in comparison. It’s also worth mentioning that these often overlap, and can be incredibly serious. The BBC reported in late January that shoplifters were emboldened by unclear or ineffectual consequences, using physical violence when accused of stealing.
There are no areas of immunity, either. While one would expect the most dangerous areas of the UK to see the lion’s share of shoplifting and other retail crimes, every area of the UK has experienced a protracted and concerning rise in the amount of violence and abuse at our country’s retail premises.
There is no excuse for abuse, violent behaviour or animosity of any kind towards those who work in retail. While it can be frustrating to not find the product we’re looking for on the shelf, or infuriating that prices continue that steady, unignorable increase, it’s crucial to remember that it’s not the fault of the person who serves you or stacks the shelves.
However, the rise of violence against retail workers is undeniable. We alluded earlier to the laws around retail worker abuse being hazy at best, and that’s still true. While Scottish Police forces classify violence against retail workers as its own offence with its own sanctions, the same can’t be said for England and Wales’ police.
That’s meant that there’s confusion around the consequences of violence or abuse aimed at shop workers. The current Labour Government has pledged to address this, with further confirmation of that coming in the King’s Speech, but it’s not until, the release of the Crime and Policing Bill that we’ll know the extent of it.
Criminals – particularly those that are organised or that are part of the gangs targeting retailers – are well aware of that, and know that confidence in law enforcement is dwindling. That’s meant a sharp uptick in the offences we see and in the lack of support offered to those on the frontlines of retail.
While we’ve touched on how violence and abuse towards retail workers has continued its relentless increase, there’s a growing proportion of those offences that involve weapons. The rate that’s growing is alarming, to say the least, with the BRC’s latest report saying that the amount of weapon-based offences in retail has more than doubled.
That’s an astronomical rise of 180% – one of the largest and most startling figures across the latest British Retail Consortium figures. To put that into perspective, that’s around 70 incidents every day that involve weapons, or approximately 25,000 over the year – particularly shocking given the UK’s historic issues with knife crime.
The Association of Convenience Stores breaks those statistics down further, estimating that around 37% of those offences involved a knife or bladed weapon, with a further 30% using a blunt object (such as a hammer). Regardless of what’s used, or how it’s brandished, the impacts cannot and should not be underestimated.
That same ACS report also sheds light on how the threat of weapon-based is perceived by those on the ground, with retailers drawing a “strong correlation between the rising incidents of shop theft and violence towards shop workers”. It’s an interconnected web of offences, and one thing these reports do show us is how it’s becoming embedded as an all-too-common part of retail operations.
Perhaps the underlying thread in all of the issues with crime in the retail sector is a dwindling level of confidence in the police. It’s long been documented – particularly through organisations like the British Retail Consortium and the Association of Convenience Stores – that retailers lack confidence in the police and the law in general.
That’s down to a multitude of factors, but chief among those is the prevalent belief that “nothing will happen” if a crime is reported. That’s something shared between both those working in retail and those who decide to steal – police involvement will be minimal if at all, which only opens the door for the opportunity to steal.
There’s also the preconception that anything under £200 in value isn’t serious enough to warrant police involvement. That’s partially grounded in truth – the previous government introduced more lax measures around shoplifting of less than £200 – but, given that the BRC places the average theft at £106, that can’t be allowed to continue.
What is likely to stick out as a point of concern, though, is the lack of movement in how retailers look at the police. The BRC’s report places retailer confidence at dismally low, with 61% saying that they “rate police response to retail crime as poor or very poor”. It’s a damning indictment, but it mirrors the general public’s trust and confidence in the police.
Further reading and analysis only serve to draw more attention to the police response (or lack thereof). The diminished confidence in law enforcement means that only a third (32%) of all crimes were reported to the police. Of those, just 10% resulted in police attendance and a mere 2% led to a conviction – a statistic that’s as stark as it is shocking, and 2% below last year.
There are signs of improvement, though. For the first time in several years, 3% of respondents to the BRC’s survey rated the police response as “excellent” – a marked improvement, and one that few would’ve expected. It’s a sign of positivity in what can be a grim report and has been met with enthusiasm by those involved with the retail body.
We’ve done our own investigations into how police perception compares to our bread and butter in manned security guarding and drew very similar conclusions. You’ll discover more in our comprehensive report linked here.
Our heading here does something of a disservice to the amount of antisocial behaviour that retailers experience, but it’s equally true that antisocial behaviour comes in many forms, and there’s not always a direct and immediately apparent effect.
Of course, the 1.1 million instances of antisocial behaviour over the last year is an illustration of the astronomical rate of ASB that retailers face. That’s up by 4% on the previous year, too, and equates to roughly 3,046 offences each day. But these only tell a partial story – it’s an unavoidable and seldom considered part of crime in the retail sector.
Think of it this way – a corner shop or precinct that attracts the wrong kind of attention can in turn push away the right kind. It’s an issue the Association of Convenience Stores have shed light on in their newest report, finding that 61% of retailers feel that antisocial behaviour in their area has increased over the last year.
That’s further exacerbated by the many different forms that antisocial behaviour comes in. We often imagine ASB to involve rowdy or inconsiderate behaviour (like excess noise, banging on shutters or windows, or otherwise disrupting the peace), but it extends to things like littering, vandalism and loitering.
That in turn can reduce business, or prompt further issues, particularly if there’s no involvement from the police or local authorities. It ultimately offers a “green flag” to would-be offenders, and means that there’s less likely to be a police presence or involvement.
As we’ve seen time and time again with retail security measures, shop workers and retailers are doing as much as they can to stem the tide of crime in their shops, supermarkets and independent premises. That’s evolved in recent years (as we’ll touch more on shortly), but the British Retail Consortium reports that retailers have embraced a wave of banning orders.
The statistics speak for themselves. There were around 401,000 banning orders issued in 2023/24 (between September 2023 and August 2024) – a massive 146% increase when we compare that to the previous year, and roughly 1,100 every day in that period.
While criminals can try to circumvent banning orders (and, as we’ve seen, many aim to do just that), it’s a thorough layer of protection that can mean it’s easier to identify those repeat offenders and turn them away at the door. It’s a tactic that’s long been employed, but retailers in recent years have really ramped up the method.
It’s usually combined with specialist retail security officers, who both act as the ideal deterrent to would-be criminals and shoplifters and can actively enforce the banning orders our retail premises are dishing out.
As we’ve seen with those statistics from both the BRC and the ACS, retail crime statistics are a massive cause for concern. While shrinkage does have a marginal effect on larger retailers and supermarkets, it’s far more impactful when it’s taken in the context of smaller businesses or independent retailers.
That’s where the key impetus of future measures lies – protecting retailers, the people who work there, and their families. It’s a uniquely human issue and one that isn’t just about the (admittedly large sums of) money involved. It’s more about livelihoods than profits, and more grounded in community support than cashflow.
There are moves in motion. The reports from both the British Retail Consortium and the Association of Convenience Stores have been released in advance of the new Crime and Policing Bill, and seek to expedite policies, changes and further protective measures for the retail sector.
That includes:
Of course, while these are still speculative (and will remain so until we have concrete confirmation of the plans to implement them), they are more than likely the next course of action for the current government.
In the interim, it falls to retailers to decide what the right course of action is and to implement private security measures to act as both an active deterrent and a thorough aid in reporting crime at their premises.
We mentioned earlier about the soaring statistics on banning orders, and how those have quickly become an option for retailers looking to try and limit the amount of repeat offenders who can gain easy access to their store. However, while those do go some way towards protecting retailers against crime, they’re far from the only measure at retailers’ disposal.
In our small business crime prevention guide released in the Summer of last year, we discussed just how our country’s smaller businesses are turning to more professional security measures to fight the rising tides of crime. That’s particularly true for retailers – security solutions have evolved in recent years to match the demands of the modern retail sector.
From the more covert options like store detectives and hidden security cameras at key pressure points in your store, to the ultra-visible security officers and signage that’s designed to function as a deterrent, modern security options for retailers are the way forward.
Of course, these are only likely to be strengthened by the laws and legislation we’ve touched on, but by partnering with a company like Churchill Support Services, you’re already abreast of the major changes. It’s one of the main advantages of choosing to outsource your security measures – you remove all that pressure.
Get started today by giving us a call, or leaving an enquiry to chat with one of our incredibly knowledgeable and helpful security experts. There’s no pressure, and we’d be happy to provide consummate guidance on what you can do to stem the tide of retail crime.
