Greggs to stop thieves by making huge change that will impact all customers
The popular bakery has placed a new safety measure in some of its stores to combat shoplifting.
Greggs is taking measures to stamp out shoplifting, with a handful of stores selected to trial out the change. While well-known for the sausage rolls and other hot pastries, the high street bakery also offers a selection of convenient self-serve food and drinks, including baguettes and finger food.
However, with a rise in shoplifting, the company has made the decision to trial holding their self-serve items behind the counter. The measure is being trialled out in a few selected stores that are said to be "exposed to higher levels of anti-social behaviour."
While the initial stores to take on the policy are in England - one in Whitechapel and others in Peckham and Ilford - the company has said that it may also be rolled out to other stores across the country that experience high levels of theft.
Greggs currently has 2,600 bakeries across the UK, and according to the Office of National Statistics, shoplifting offences recorded by the police in 2024 rose by 20 per cent to a whopping 516,971.
However, the number of shoplifting incidents reported by retailers themselves was significantly higher. In the 12 months leading up to September last year, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said that shops saw a 3.7million rise in incidents to 20.4million.
While shoppers of the selected stores will see more food behind the counter, Greggs have added: "The safety of our colleagues and customers remains our number one priority."
Some retailers, including supermarkets, have reported being targeted by organised groups who wear bluetooth headsets to communicate with each other. These gangs have also been said to set off alarms to cause a distraction so their fellow thieves can escape.
Andy Higginson, chair of JD Sports and the BRC, told the BBC that some people see shoplifting as a "way of life", as they are able to trade or sell the items they have stolen.
He added: "There is an element of society that is starting to take stealing from stores as a way of life and that needs to be stopped."
There has also been a significant rise in theft from retailers after the Covid pandemic, which coincides with the rise in household bills and the price of food.
However, Mr Higginson has dismissed the idea that the increase in shoplifting is due to people struggling with cost of living pressures.
He said: "People are not stealing the food to eat they're stealing very high value items that can be traded and sold."
By contrast, a boss from a firm that provides shops and supermarkets with security has said that his staff has reported a change in the types of thieves they are dealing with - with some now being pensioners who are struggling to keep up with the rising living costs.
John Nussbaum, director of service for retail at Kingdom Security, said: "We've seen a massive increase in pensioners shoplifting, putting a jar of coffee in their bag and one in the trolley, that sort of thing.
"For us over the last 12 months, we've got this different level of crime now. We're now experiencing something different - pensioners, people who don't normally shoplift."
He added: "We've had instances of mothers caught shoplifting when they're with their kids."
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