Greggs among stores most targeted by shoplifters, according to police report.

Major retailers across the country have been affected by shoplifting and theft offences as the rate of these crimes increases. Greggs has been included in a top five list of stores hit by these crimes in one of the country’s biggest police regions.

The West Midlands Police reported that more than 100 offences were recorded at Greggs branches from January 23 to October 23 this year. This places Greggs fifth in the list with 108 recorded thefts, compared to 173 at Aldi, 140 at Tesco, 115 at Asda, and 110 at One Stop. Last year, Tesco topped the list, followed by Aldi, Sainsbury's, Asda, and Boots.

Greggs products have become targets for shoplifters in the West Midlands, and the number of shoplifting and theft offences at stores recorded by the force rose from 3,447 between January and October last year to 4,262 the same period in 2023. Groceries were the most targeted item, followed by household goods.

The rising tide of thefts and associated behaviour - including aggression and violence - have been blamed on the cost of living crisis and organised crime gangs, with differing views on which is the main factor. Greggs has taken measures to prevent shoplifting, such as removing doughnuts from display boxes and padlocking drinks in fridges.

The British Independent Retailers’ Association has described the £2.8 billion loss from customer theft in the last financial year as ‘the tip of the iceberg’. Graham Wynn, assistant director of business regulation at the British Retail Consortium, has said ‘Shoplifting is not a victimless crime — it costs retailers, and ultimately customers, almost £1 billion a year, money that would be better used to reduce prices for everyone.’

West Midlands Police has said it is ‘committed’ to tackling theft and the underlying causes. They have invested in rehabilitation and intervention programmes to help reduce these offences and are also taking part in Project Pegasus - a new partnership between the police, retailers, and government - in an effort to stop shoplifting by organised gangs.

The figures also show that in 5,596 cases across the two years, a named suspect was not identified, with 1,022 cases resulting in charges or summonses. The youngest suspect in the data released by West Midlands Police was nine, and the oldest 71.

Greggs has yet to comment on the figures, but the police have said they ‘fully understand the impact and frustration of shoplifting on businesses of all sizes.’ They are working hard to tackle this issue with high visibility patrols in retail areas and other anti-crime measures.

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