Greggs is removing display cabinets in its London stores most affected by shoplifting, replacing them with secure counters. The bakery chain is testing the new format in branches at Croydon, Peckham, Whitechapel, and Upton Park, with additional trials in Birmingham and Wilford, Nottinghamshire.
The move comes as official figures reveal shoplifting offences in England and Wales exceeded half a million last year, a year-on-year increase of about 20%. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the retail crime wave "disgraceful" and pledged a new offence for assaulting retail workers, along with 3,000 additional neighbourhood police officers and the removal of the informal £200 threshold for prosecuting thefts.
Greggs is also piloting software that shares incident data directly with local police stations to speed up reporting and response. Some competitors, such as Pret a Manger and Costa, have hired security staff to deter repeat offenders.
A Greggs spokesperson said: "This is one of a number of initiatives we are trialling across a very small number of shops which are exposed to higher levels of antisocial behaviour." The trials are temporary while the impact on theft and customer experience is assessed.