Almost four in five retailers report an increase in attacks
SCOTTISH retailers have reported an increase of violence towards staff members in their stores in the new Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) Crime Report 2025/26.
According to the industry organisation, almost four in five retailers (78.3%) reported an increase in violence against shop workers over the course of 2025.
Pete Cheema, chief executive at the SGF, said: “For thousands of shop workers across Scotland, going to work now means putting their personal safety on the line. Assaults, stabbings, spitting, threats, and relentless abuse have become an all-too-common part of daily life on the shop floor.
“Our latest Crime Report, published today at the SGF Crime Seminar in Edinburgh, exposes the full and alarming scale of criminality facing the convenience sector.”
Further data highlighted the rampant rise of shoplifting incidents across their stores, with 54.8% of retailers stating they believe it has shot up over the last year and 99.6% stated that it is now a daily occurrence for them.
The average cost of shop theft for the sector sat at £10,431 per store in 2025, based on the responses from 732 stores that participated in the SGF annual crime survey.
Furthermore, more than eight in 10 stores now report incidents of hate crime at least once a month showcasing the concerning figures around the prevalence of hate crime within the retail sector.
The SGF is set to unveil its full crime report as part of its annual Crime & Security Seminar at the Doubletree by Hilton, Edinburgh later today (12 February).
Cheema said: “Retail crime is spiralling out of control. Every indicator is moving in the wrong direction, and the damage to workers, businesses and local communities is profound and accelerating. This is a public safety emergency hiding in plain sight.
“Retailers urgently need support. The police and courts are overwhelmed, and many crimes go unreported because retailers lack confidence that action will be taken. Offenders know they are unlikely to face consequences, and even when arrests are made, cases can take years to reach conviction.”
