Coles and Woolworths have conducted tests of facial recognition technology to combat retail crime, though implementation in stores remains uncertain, amid ongoing privacy concerns and debates over its use.
Co-op supermarket is secretly marking stolen items with invisible forensic spray to track where they are resold, having tested the technology in Manchester and London since last year. The spray contains unique codes identifying which store items were stolen from, helping police investigate physical and online resale operations. The move comes as a new crime and policing bill creates a standalone offence of assaulting retail worker and removes the £200 threshold for low-value shop theft. Co-op says its measures cut crime by a fifth last year and reduced physical attacks on staff by almost a third.
Co-op is secretly marking commonly stolen items including alcohol, laundry detergents and sweets with invisible forensic spray to track where stolen goods are resold. The supermarket has tested the technique in Manchester and London since last year and plans to roll it out nationwide. The measure is part of a £250m security investment that also includes body-worn cameras, security guards and AI-powered CCTV. The rollout coincides with a new crime and policing bill that creates a standalone offence of assaulting retail workers and makes it easier to act on low-value shop theft.
Greggs is testing the removal of open display cabinets in its London shops most affected by shoplifting, including branches in Croydon, Peckham, Whitechapel and Upton Park, with trials also in Birmingham and Wilford, Nottinghamshire. The bakery chain is replacing open cabinets with secure counters and piloting software to share incident data directly with police. The move follows official figures showing shoplifting offences in England and Wales topped 500,000 last year, a 20% year-on-year increase, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer describing the retail crime wave as disgraceful.
