Greggs rolls back self-service cabinets in shoplifting hotspots | Greggs

Greggs has canceled self-service displays at bakery stores most affected by thieves.

The move is the latest aimed at tackling a problem plaguing the high street. Last year official figures revealed annual theft crimes in England and Wales surpassed half a million for the first time, and many retailers have since reported high levels of crime in their stores.

Self-service displays are being replaced at various outlets of sausage roll and sandwich retailers, with staff now handing items to customers from behind a theft-proof counter.

Greggs’ branches in Croydon and Peckham, south London; Whitechapel and Upton Park, east London; The new format is being tested in Birmingham and Wilford, Nottinghamshire.

The company said it will also introduce software systems that provide information directly to police stations.

At the hearing Greggs apparently had a target of habitual thievesRivals Pret a Manger and Costa reportedly use bouncer services to protect their stock from thieves.

Last week Marks & Spencer chairman Archie Norman said He told the Daily Telegraph Self-checkouts are cited as fueling an increase in shoplifting among “good, honest people.”

In February, the British Retail Consortium said criminal gangs were “systematically” targeting stores and that the 5.5 million thefts detected last year had cost the industry an estimated £400 million.

The trade body also warned of “endemic” violence against store workers, who faced an average of 36 violent incidents involving weapons every day last year.

Greggs said in a statement: “This is one of a number of initiatives we are trialling in a very small number of stores that experience higher levels of antisocial behaviour.”