According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 530,643 reported shoplifting offences in the year ending March 2025, representing a 20% increase from the preceding year. It is anticipated that the actual figures may be higher, as retailers frequently refrain from reporting crime due to a lack of confidence in its (thorough) investigation.
The new ONS data comes in the wake of major retailers, once again raising concerns about the rising cost of theft. Tom Ironside, Director of Business & Regulation at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: “The ONS figures prove what retailers have long been telling us – that retail theft is spiralling out of control. Sadly, such theft is not a victimless crime; it pushes up the cost for honest shoppers and damages the customer experience for everyone. Retail theft costs retailers, and their customers, over £2.2bn a year and are a major trigger for violence and abuse against staff. While the causes are manifold, the rise in organised crime is a significant concern, with gangs hitting store after store, even within a single day.
“These stats come as the UK experiences record levels of retail crime with incidents of violence and abuse climbing to over 2,000 per day. These incidents are not restricted to those working in stores: delivery drivers are often subjected to abuse, physical violence, and threats with weapons. As a result, many are being equipped with protective measures, such as personal safety devices to alert the police of their whereabouts, and DNA spit testing kits.
Retailers hope that the new Crime and Policing Bill will play a pivotal role in protecting retail workers from harm and tackling the surge in theft. Ironside adds: “It will remove the £200 threshold for ‘low level’ theft, which will send a clear signal that all shoplifting is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The Bill will also introduce a standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker, which will increase sentencing and improve the visibility of violence against staff so that police can allocate appropriate resources to the challenge.
Ironside warns that the Bill will need to go further, to ensure all retail staff working in customer facing roles, such as delivery drivers, are protected just as the Workers Protection Act does in Scotland.
