Finance
Shoplifting surges 20% to two-decade high in England and Wales
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on July 24, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on July 24, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Shoplifting in England and Wales surged 20% to a two-decade high, costing retailers billions and prompting government action.
LONDON (Reuters) -Shoplifting offences in England and Wales increased by 20% in the year ending March 2025 to hit a two-decade high, official data showed on Thursday.
Retailers say the true picture is much worse as millions of shoplifting incidents are not reported to the police because owners do not think the force will either respond or prosecute offenders.
Theft costs the industry billions of pounds and inflates prices for consumers as the expense of lost goods and increasing security is passed on.
The Office for National Statistics said it had recorded 530,643 offences, the highest figure since current police recording practices began in 2003. In the previous year to March 2024 there were 444,022 offences, an annual rise of 30%.
The ONS did not give reasons for the rise, but said it continued a trend that set in at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Britain's Labour government has pledged to address the rise in retail crime through stronger measures to tackle shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.
Industry body the British Retail Consortium's annual crime survey, published in January, found more than 20 million incidents of theft were committed in the year to August 2024, equating to 55,000 a day, costing retailers 2.2 billion pounds ($3 billion).
The issue of shop theft and violence against store workers has been raised by many of Britain's biggest retailers, including industry leader Tesco and the Co-op, echoing similar reports in the United States and elsewhere.
In April, the Co-op said losses from shoplifting in its food retail business rose to 80 million pounds in 2024, or more than half of its adjusted operating profit.
($1 = 0.7382 pounds)
(Reporting by James Davey; editing by Barbara Lewis)
Shoplifting offences increased by 20% in the year ending March 2025.
The Office for National Statistics recorded 530,643 offences, the highest since 2003.
The Labour government has pledged to address the rise in retail crime through stronger measures.
Theft costs the industry billions of pounds, inflating prices for consumers due to lost goods and increased security costs.
In April, the Co-op reported losses from shoplifting rose to 80 million pounds in 2024, over half of its adjusted operating profit.
Explore more articles in the Finance category
