How indie retailers are tackling the shoplifting problem

With incidents going viral and fears around organised criminal gangs, shoplifting continues to be a major source of worry for retailers large and small.

A recent survey from the British Retail Consortium found that nearly a quarter of people (23%) had witnessed shoplifting – a figure that has remained persistently high. Separate BRC data revealed there were 1,600 incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers every day last year. While this was down on the previous year, it remained the second highest on record.

Although the government is seeking to address retail crime through the new Crime and Policing Bill (more on this below), and Sir Keir Starmer recently pledged to end the shop theft “free-for-all”, according to the BRC, retailers have already spent an estimated £5bn on fighting retail crime over the past five years, including CCTV, more security personnel, anti-theft devices and body worn cameras. 

The shoplifting challenge for small businesses

For independent retailers, shoplifting hits especially hard – both in terms of financial impact and mental wellbeing.

Victoria Ritchie runs Highland Health Store in Perth, Scotland, and she reports seeing “very noticeable” day-to-day changes in shoplifting behaviours.

“Since Police Scotland’s budgets were cut and the traditional ‘bobby on the beat’ largely disappeared, there’s been a visible gap. We no longer see officers walking the street, getting to know local businesses and maintaining a regular presence, and that absence has coincided with a steady rise in antisocial behaviour and crime,” she begins.

“For us as small business owners, shoplifting has become one of the biggest challenges. It affects all retailers, but it hits SMEs especially hard,” Victoria explains. “There’s a real sense of vulnerability when incidents become more frequent and the support we expect from local policing simply isn’t there.”

Andrew Goodacre, chief executive of Bira, says shoplifting is “extremely damaging” to small businesses.

“Loss of product is loss of sales, loss of profits and the need to find more money to replace the stolen,” he says. “Indie retail is very challenging at the moment without this crime. Aside from the financial cost, there is the negative impact of mental wellbeing on owners and shop workers who are facing this crime on a daily basis.”

How shops are adapting

Highland Health Store has been targeted for products that are seen as high value and easy to resell, such as bags of protein powder and CBD products.

“We’ve had to adapt how we run the shop as a result,” Victoria says. “Much of that stock is now kept behind the counter as a deterrent, and we make it obvious that anyone who raises our suspicions is being closely monitored. As owners, we will challenge shoplifters if we catch them, but we are very clear that we would never expect our staff to put themselves at risk.”

Across indie retailers, Bira has noted increased spending on CCTV; reorganisation of shops to make more sought-after items harder to reach or less available; the use of dummy products while actual products are kept behind the counter; improved communications via messaging groups between retailers in the same area.

Community coming together

While the trends in shoplifting have been a huge worry for small businesses, as Bira notes, many retailers are beginning to work together. In Perth, local shops are pooling their knowledge to try to stop the rise. “The Perth shopkeepers are sticking together and we will make it clear that when you steal from one of us, we are all watching and you are banned from all of our shops,” Highland Health Store wrote in a social media post.

Victoria says this sense of community among the local businesses has become “essential”. 

“We have a group chat where shopkeepers share information about known shoplifters, fake notes in circulation and anything else relevant,” she says. “It’s a simple thing, but it’s incredibly effective.

“More than that, it provides reassurance,” she continues. “If someone is working alone and feels uncomfortable, they can send a message and another shopkeeper will come along to support them. When official support feels lacking, looking out for one another is vital. It builds confidence and helps everyone feel less isolated.”

What action is needed to tackle shoplifting?

While the community support has been vital, Victoria believes the only thing that will make a real difference, however, is a visible police presence. “Not officers driving past in cars or vans, but police actually on foot, walking the streets, engaging with people and supporting the local business community and residents alike.

“Visible policing acts as both a deterrent and a reassurance. Until that returns, small businesses will continue to feel exposed and will be left to rely on each other to fill a gap that shouldn’t exist in the first place,” she says.

Speaking this week, the prime minister said the government has put an extra 3,000 neighbourhood police officers and given police stronger powers, making the abuse and assault of retail workers a specific crime and giving retail workers the same protections as emergency workers.

“There has been some improvement from police forces in England and Wales,” Bira’s Andrew says, “but the level of crime is still very high. We need to maintain this momentum as well as investing in rehabilitation schemes for the serial offenders.”

What will the new Crime and Policing Bill do for shoplifting?

The Crime and Policing Bill includes a standalone offence for assaulting retail workers, which will improve the visibility of violence so that police can allocate appropriate resources to the challenge. It will also remove the £200 threshold of ‘low level’ theft, sending a clear signal that all shoplifting will be treated seriously. 

“It is vital that the Police make full use of this new legislation so we can bring these numbers down once and for all,” says Lucy Whing, crime policy adviser at the BRC.