RETAIL ENVIRONMENT
Personal safety on the line north of the border
Retail crime is rising across Scotland, with convenience stores facing increasing theft, abuse and violence, costing the sector an estimated £54.5m, according to the Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) annual crime report.
The figures, published on 12 February during the SGF annual crime seminar in Edinburgh, found that 77.8 per cent of stores have at least one member of staff who has experienced mental health or wellbeing issues as a direct result of retail crime. Almost four in five retailers (78.3 pr cent) reported an increase in violence towards shop workers.
The average cost of shop theft is £10,431 per store in 2025/26, based on responses from 732 stores participating in the crime survey. More than half of convenience retailers (54.8%) said shoplifting has increased over the past year, with almost all (99.6%) stating it is now a daily occurrence.
More than eight in ten stores report incidents of hate crime at least once a month, while nearly all experience violence against staff on a monthly basis (80.6 per cent and 78.3 per cent respectively). Nearly all respondents (99.4 per cent) report weekly abuse when refusing a sale or requesting proof of age.
Pete Cheema, SGF chief executive, said: “For thousands of shop workers across Scotland, going to work now means putting their personal safety on the line. Assaults, stabbings, spitting, threats, and relentless abuse have become an all-too-common part of daily life on the shop floor.
“Retail crime is spiralling out of control. Every indicator is moving in the wrong direction, and the damage to workers, businesses and local communities is profound and accelerating. This is a public safety emergency hiding in plain sight.”
Cheema added that retailers “urgently need support” and that many crimes go unreported because retailers lack confidence that action will be taken. “Offenders know they are unlikely to face consequences, and even when arrests are made, cases can take years to reach conviction,” he said.
“Going to work now means putting personal safety on the line,” according to Pete Cheema,
The SGF believes that wider reform is needed if retail crime is to be stemmed fully. “The police and courts are overwhelmed, and many crimes go unreported because retailers lack confidence that action will be taken. Offenders know that they are unlikely to face consequences, and even when arrests are made, cases can take years to reach conviction,” said Cheema.
