Shoplifting in UK is ‘worse than Europe’, says retail boss

Shoplifting in the UK is worse than Europe, the head of BP convenience stores has claimed, as soaring cost of groceries continue to push bills.

Grocery price inflation hit record highs in March. making typical family’s annual grocery bill is £837 higher than it was a year ago. The grocery bills are likely to remain high for months to come.

Clements said rising levels of shoplifting mean BP stores have been forced to employ more security staff, and workers are using extra body cameras to catch shoplifters.

“In the UK, unfortunately, shoplifting and the rise in crime against retail workers are more prominent than what I see in the other nine countries that I look after,” reports quoted Clements as saying.

“It reminds me of when I was with Tesco Express in 2007. The banking crisis led to a huge increase in shoplifting and aggression and violence against shop workers. Sadly, we’re seeing that again.”

Other stores and supermarkets too are known to be taking measures to counter the spike in theft and shoplifting.

Latest Office of National Statistics figures for England and Wales show that shoplifting rose by 22 per cent in the year to September. The British Retail Consortium figures suggest the same, with 7.9 million cases last year, five million more than in 2016-17.

Meanwhile, a 2022 study by the Centre for Retail Research found that shoplifting cost the British economy £660m in 2021-22.

Overall food inflation accelerated to 15 per cent, up from 14.5 per cent last month, while the price of fresh food is now 17 per cent higher than last March – the highest on record.

Britain’s biggest union, Unite, has blamed food firms and retailers for passing on price increases to shoppers despite sustained profits. Aldi, for instance, was forced to hide the meat away with shoppers having to ask for it at the till.

The steaks, including £4.85 ribeyes and £4.99 sirloins, are kept in the storeroom and customers have to ask checkout attendants for the cut they want. Experts say the thefts could be costing stores up to 15 per cent of their profits.

Shops that used to attach antitheft devices to pricey items like alcohol have shifted to also protect unlikely products – butter, cheese, washing detergent and protein bars.