Greggs has begun locking away food and drinks behind anti-theft counters in a growing number of its stores, marking a dramatic shift in the bakery chain’s operations as it tries to stem what retailers and official statistics describe as an out-of-control shoplifting crisis.
New security measures
Self-service displays have been removed and shelves emptied in a major refit at the Greggs branch in West Croydon, south London. Staff now serve customers from behind theft-proof counters, preventing would-be thieves from helping themselves to items on the shop floor. The same approach is being tested at outlets in Peckham, Whitechapel and Upton Park in the capital, as well as in Birmingham and Wilford in Nottinghamshire.
Greggs confirmed that the anti-theft measures are being trialled at a “very small number of shops which are exposed to higher levels of anti-social behaviour.” In a statement, the company added: “Customers can expect to see our full range of great value and tasty Greggs favourites available from behind the counter.”
The chain, which operates more than 2,700 stores across the UK, has not ruled out rolling the scheme out more widely if the pilot proves successful. Previously, Greggs has trialled other security tactics including high-security doors, panic alarms, a system for instantly sharing shoplifter images with police, and body-worn cameras for staff. There have also been reports of individual branches using bike locks on fridges, though the company said this is not official policy.
The scale of the shoplifting problem
The decision to barricade products behind counters comes after shoplifting across the UK hit a 20-year high. According to the Office for National Statistics, police recorded 530,643 shoplifting offences in the year to March 2025 — a 19.5 per cent increase on the previous year. Updated figures released last week showed a slight decline to 509,566 offences in the year ending December 2025, a 1 per cent decrease, but the numbers remain elevated.
Crime and policing minister Sarah Jones acknowledged that rates of shop theft are still “unacceptably high”, but argued that government action is beginning to turn the tide. “Shoplifting is down on last year,” she said. “We’re scrapping the so-called £200 ‘licence to steal’. The number of shoplifters facing justice continues to soar under this government, with 17 per cent more charges in just a year.” The government’s Crime and Policing Bill also aims to introduce a standalone offence for assaulting retail workers and to improve sentencing.
Industry figures paint an even starker picture. The British Retail Consortium estimates that police-recorded figures capture only a fraction of actual theft, with 5.5 million detected incidents last year costing retailers nearly £400 million. The total cost of retail crime, including spending on prevention measures, reached £4.2 billion annually. Shoplifting alone costs retailers about £2.2 billion each year, with small businesses disproportionately affected. Beyond the financial hit, retailers report rising violence and abuse against staff — two-thirds of attacks on shop workers are believed to be triggered by theft.
A brazen case in west London
One incident that illustrates the scale of the problem involved Adam Gosling, 39, who admitted to stealing from a Greggs branch in Greenford, west London, 38 times between 30 December 2025 and 10 February 2026. His six-week spree amounted to £1,817.50, with individual thefts valued at between £12.30 and £100. On some days he targeted the same shop multiple times.
Footage released by the Metropolitan Police showed Gosling brazenly taking drinks from a shop fridge. In one clip, wearing a hood over a cap, he fills a carrier bag with multiple Lucozade bottles while a staff member is at a nearby fridge. Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court heard that Gosling was homeless at the time. The chairwoman of the magistrates’ bench, Judy Gregg, sentenced him to four months in prison, suspended for one year.
Greggs is not alone in tightening security. Other chains including Costa Coffee, Pret A Manger, Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s have also introduced measures such as hiring security staff and deploying additional cameras. Yet the baker’s decision to physically remove stock from shelves and serve it only from behind counters represents one of the most visible responses yet to a problem that, despite a slight recent dip in recorded offences, continues to dominate the high street.
