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By David Shrimpton in Industry News 18th August 2023

The Co-op is extending its trial of anti-theft dummy display packaging on its shelves in a bid to curb soaring levels of shop theft driven by prolific offenders and organised gangs.

The retailer has seen a surge in bulk-shoplifting, which it has described as “looting” in the worst instances.

The empty packaging will be used across higher-value products on shelves frequently targeted by criminals for re-sale, in stores where there is a local issue.

Products include: coffee; washing powder and laundry gel, with shoppers simply taking the dummy display case to the till, where it is exchanged for the actual product.

The Co-op has already used the anti-theft packaging in a number of stores and expects it to become more common in retail.

Last month, the Co-op revealed it had seen record levels of crime, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour with almost 1,000 incidents each day in the six months to June – a 35% year-on-year increase.

The Co-op warned that this level of out-of-control crime was unsustainable and could even see some communities become no-go areas for local stores, with many police forces not prioritising retail crime.

Kate Graham, director of operations at the Co-op, said: “Crime in many communities is increasing and it is known that repeat and prolific offenders and local organised criminal gangs are driving serious incidents of brazen and violent theft in stores.

“It is an ongoing challenge for all retailers, and often a flashpoint for attacks and abuse towards our colleagues.

“Co-op continues to invest significantly in keeping colleagues and stores safe. This includes extending our use of dummy display cases to deter the incidents of ‘bulk-shoplifting’ or, ‘looting’, where criminals sweep products off shelves for re-sale.

“While we are doing all we can, we also need the police to play their part, as too often forces fail to respond to desperate calls by our store teams and criminals operate in communities without any fear of consequences.”

The convenience retailer uses a range of measures to deter crime, including: