Discount supermarket locking products in GPS tracked security boxes as shoplifting offences soar
The number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales has risen to the highest level on record
A supermarket has resorted to locking away its detergent and dishwasher products in a bid to deter shoplifters.
The Food Warehouse, which is the same company as Iceland, is among several retailers to have stepped up efforts against thieves as shoplifting cases soar.
Official figures from last year show offences recorded by police in England and Wales have reached the highest level on record, with more than half a million logged in 2024.
Among the items kept in sealed plastic boxes at The Food Warehouse are Fairy dishwasher tablets and laundry detergent capsules.
Costing from £8 upwards, they're the kind of products that can easily be sold on by thieves. Fitted with GPS trackers, it means the company is able to trace where they end up if they're stolen from stores.
Crime figures show that shoplifting offences rose following the pandemic, but have continued to rise.
Seen in part as a result of household finances being squeezed amid the cost of living crisis, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) - the industry body for retail businesses - has previously blamed it on organised gangs stealing to order.
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Just a few days ago, Iceland Foods executive chairman Richard Walker responded to an article which included footage of an Iceland security guard arming himself with a shopping basket to ward off a thief who was kicking at him.
He said he was 'disgusted but not surprised to see this footage', saying it's 'one of around 1,000 relatively minor incidents we see in our stores every single week'.
"Sadly, each week there are always some much worse incidents involving serious physical assaults on our store colleagues," he said.
"We're proud to have served our customers for more than 50 years, supporting British high streets. But we have to recognise that shoplifting isn’t petty: it’s organised, aggressive, and increasingly violent."
Mr Walker said the company will never 'just let them get away with it' as some have suggested, adding: " it’s not just a cost to business; it’s a threat to the safety of our colleagues and customers, and to the wellbeing of the communities where we operate."
Across the board retailers have all been stepping up their fight against shoplifters.
In March we reported how five Greater Manchester Asda stores became the first to use facial recognition in a crackdown on shoplifting and abuse.
The technology was being trialled at stores in Ashton, Chadderton, Harpurhey, Eastlands and Trafford Park in a bid to improve colleague and customer safety in store. Asda itself recorded circa 1,400 assaults on colleagues last year, an average of four per day.
Last month Tesco introduced 'VAR-style' cameras at their self-service checkouts in a bid to tackle a rise in shoplifting - a change already brought in at Sainsbury's - and it was widely reported how popular British bakery chain Greggs made the decision to put sandwiches and drinks behind counters in some of its stores to help tackle the problem there.
Last year crime cost retailers an eye-watering £4.2bn last year. This includes £2.2bn from shoplifting, and another £1.8bn spent on crime prevention measures such as CCTV, more security personnel, anti-theft devices and body worn cameras.
The BRC says such costs add to the wider financial pressures retailers already face, further limiting investment and pushing up prices for customers everywhere.