Independent retailers cautiously welcome fall in shoplifting but warn true scale of retail crime remains hidden

Retra parent company Bira has cautiously welcomed a fall in recorded shoplifting offences, while warning that official figures likely understate the true scale of retail crime facing independent businesses.

New data from the Office for National Statistics shows shoplifting offences fell by 4% to 507,086 in the year ending March 2026, down from 530,324 the previous year. The figures also show robbery of personal property fell by 9% to 57,693 offences, although overall robbery rose by 10% to 87,362 offences, largely due to changes in how robbery of business property is recorded by police forces.

Bira's own retail crime survey, published in June 2026, found that almost 77% of respondents had experienced theft in the past 12 months, up from 64% in Bira's previous survey, with nearly 90% of those saying theft had worsened compared with the year before. More than three quarters of respondents said thieves were becoming more brazen, and over 75% pointed to repeat offenders as responsible for the theft they experienced. More than 45% of those who experienced theft did not report it to the police at all, and of those who did, police attended in 67% of cases but just 35% of those led to a prosecution.

Bira has long campaigned for stronger action on retail crime, including better support for retailers to report incidents and tougher consequences for offenders.

Mr Goodacre added that continued pressure on the issue remained essential to protecting shop workers and independent businesses on the high street.

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