Almost two thirds of Scottish convenience stores (62.5%) have one or more staff members who have experienced mental health and wellbeing issues as a result of crime, according to the Scottish Grocers’ Federation’s (SGF’s) latest crime report.
This awful situation is hardly surprising when you consider the horrifying reality that 99.5% of retailers report shoplifting is happening daily, while 99.6% report that violence against staff happens at least once a month.
What’s more, the SGF Crime Report & Safer Business Guide 2024/25 revealed that the situation is only getting worse with over 80% of those surveyed reporting an increase in violence towards shopworkers and 99.8% of convenience retailers agreeing that shoplifting has increased in the past year.
98.8% of respondents reported experiencing weekly incidents of abuse when refusing a sale or when asking for proof of age, while eight out of every ten stores reported that Hate Crime occurs once a month.
The average cost of retail crime skyrocketed 38% to £19,673 per store in 2024/25, equating to an annual cost of around £102.7m across the sector.
Despite, these devastating statistics, almost half (48.2%) of respondents said they were either unlikely or very unlikely to report shoplifting incidents to the police, revealing a worrying fall in confidence in the Scottish Justice System to tackle the problem.
The report was published during the SGF annual Crime Seminar, held at Doubletree by Hilton in Edinburgh.
SGF Chief Executive, Dr Pete Cheema OBE, said: “The reality for many shop workers across Scotland is that each time they go to work, they risk being assaulted, stabbed, spat on, threatened, or abused.
“Across every metric, retail crime is on the rise and the impact on staff, businesses and communities can be overwhelming. That is why we have named our event today ‘Retail Crime – A Threat We Can’t Ignore!’, and our question to the government is, what will it take for decision makers to act?
“Retailers desperately need urgent support, now. The police and courts can’t cope, and many crimes are going unreported because retailers don’t believe the authorities will respond. Offenders know they’re unlikely to face any consequences for their crimes and even if they are arrested, many will spend years awaiting conviction.”
