Advertisers are voicing concerns over banditry
In Germany and Britain, organized shoplifting has become a significant concern for retailers, causing financial losses, operational complications, and even staff safety issues.
According to the German Retail Federation (HDE), the damage from shoplifting reached an estimated €3 billion in 2024, marking a 20% increase from 2022. Criminal gangs are increasingly targeting high-value goods such as perfume, shoes, electronics, alcohol, trainers, tech products, and cigarettes, which they resell on the grey market.
The Association of Convenience Stores in Britain reported over 6.2 million shoplifting cases, while the British statistics office recorded a total of 530,643 incidents in England and Wales between April 2024 and March 2025, representing a 20% increase compared to the previous year. Popular stolen goods include alcoholic beverages, designer clothing, sneakers, electronics, tobacco products, perfumes, cosmetics, baby food, and razor blades.
The HDE CEO, Stefan Genth, disputes the claim that self-checkout systems facilitate more frequent theft. However, he notes that about one in three thefts is attributed to organized crime, and 98% of shoplifting incidents are not reported to the police due to low prosecution and conviction rates. This lack of reporting has led to frustration among retailers, some of whom are considering measures like locking products behind glass to prevent theft.
Genth also expresses concern about aggressive offenses against store employees, with incidents increasing due to organized shoplifting. Drugstores are particularly targeted, according to findings from the EHI research institute.
In an effort to combat this growing issue, retailers spend around 1.5 billion euros annually on measures to protect against theft, including video surveillance, training, and additional security personnel. Despite these efforts, staff shortages can contribute to an increase in shoplifting incidents.
The trend of organized shoplifting is rising in both countries. In Britain, entire gangs are acting organized and sometimes brutally, often without hesitation to show their faces. The majority of retailers expect that organized shoplifting will continue to increase in the future.
This organized shoplifting wave is disrupting the retail environment by increasing costs, complicating staff safety, and undermining law enforcement confidence. The low prosecution and conviction rates, coupled with the financial strain and operational complications, have led some retailers to rely on exclusion orders against known thieves rather than pursuing criminal charges.
Sources: [1], [2], [4]
- The rising trend of organized shoplifting in Germany and Britain is causing significant concerns in the retail industry, leading to financial losses estimated at €3 billion in Germany alone.
- In the realm of finance, retailers in both countries are spending approximately 1.5 billion euros annually on measures to combat shoplifting, including video surveillance, training, and additional security personnel.
- The increase in organized shoplifting has resulted in a surge of general-news topics, including staff safety issues and the development of new crime-and-justice strategies, as retailers grapple with the growing complexity of this issue.
