Greggs axes front of store food and drink fridges in drastic new measure to tackle shoplifting

Greggs has ripped out food and drink fridges at the front of its stores in a radical new measure to combat theft.

Customers at the popular bakery chain can often grab a variety of bottled soft drinks, sandwiches and other food items off the shelves.

However, many branches in the UK now have a theft-proof counter and all products are stored behind this counter, out of reach of customers.

The company’s store in West Croydon, south of London, is one of the recently renovated stores and has reopened its doors to customers.

Stores in nearby Croydon and Peckham, east London’s Whitechapel and Upton Park, Birmingham and Wilford, Nottinghamshire, have all also been converted.

The pilot program will be expanded to 2,735 branches across the country if it helps reduce crime, combat violence against staff and protect customers.

A customer at the West Croydon branch said the only things available for free now were sugar, napkins and a coffee stirrer.

‘It’s a bit cruel, but it’s clear they’re fed up with thieves,’ they said.

Many branches have now been fitted with a burglar-proof meter and all items are stored behind this – pictured is a previous raider at a branch in West Norwood, south London.

An employee at the store said they had had boiling hot tea thrown in their faces before, and a security guard was once targeted by a thieve with a belt.

Another employee explained: ‘The branch was in a difficult situation due to homeless people outside coming in with drugs and alcohol to help themselves.’

Meanwhile, a worker at the store in Peckham admitted the redesign, which saw staff hand out all products, had “made life easier”.

The move comes amid fears of a shoplifting epidemic across Britain, with crimes reported to police in England and Wales more than doubling in five years.

Total thefts rose by 133 per cent from 228,128 in 2020/21 to 530,457 in 2024/25, according to House of Commons Library data analyzed by the Liberal Democrats.

However, only 19.8 per cent of offenses in 2024/25 resulted in a charge; the worst rate came from the Metropolitan Police at just 6.5 per cent.

Max Wilkinson, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said: ‘Our communities deserve better than the shoplifting that ravages our local high streets.

‘For years the Conservatives have quietly dismantled community policing and the Labor Government has failed to properly re-establish it.

‘Hundreds of thousands of shoplifters got away with impunity, while retail workers were left to fend for themselves in many cases.’

Greggs has come under a lot of attack lately; A particularly prolific shoplifter stole close to £20,000 from the bakery.

Adam Gosling, 39, nicknamed ‘Hamster’, targeted a store in Greenford, west London, approximately 38 times between December 30, 2025 and February 10.

The value of the thefts ranged from £12.30 to £100 per visit, and on some days the homeless man would target the branch multiple times.

Greggs has suffered more than its share of attacks in recent months, with one particularly prolific shoplifter (pictured) stealing £20,000 worth of items from the bakery.

Adam Gosling (pictured), 39, nicknamed ‘Hamster’, targeted a store in Greenford, west London, some 38 times between December 30, 2025 and February 10.

Gosling (pictured) pleaded guilty to 38 counts of shoplifting but was spared jail after being sentenced to four months suspended for a year

Just a week later, a brave security guard at another Greggs store in London was brutally attacked by a thug attempting to steal (pictured)

Gosling’s theft spree amounted to £1,817.50, prosecutors told Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court in February.

Footage released by the store showed the hooded man looting self-service refrigerators while stuffing countless Lucozade energy drinks into a bag.

In another clip, he returns with his mask on and shamelessly hides multiple bottles of orange juice in a Co-op bag in front of helpless employees.

The thief is then spotted by a staff member walking towards him. but Gosling walks past him and leaves the store, leaving the refrigerator door open.

He was arrested on February 10 after CCTV footage was shown to police.

Gosling pleaded guilty to 38 counts of shoplifting but was spared prison after being given a four-month prison sentence suspended for one year.

Just a week later, a brave security guard at another Greggs store in London was attacked by a shoplifter.

The thief repeatedly kicked and punched the bouncer as one of his friends brazenly made off with a groceries item from a Croydon store.

Raiders continued to shamelessly steal products from shelves; One of them was caught on camera buying several Dr Pepper drinks and food items in February.

The thief, wearing an all-black suit, took his time as he browsed the fridge shelves at a branch in Archway, north London, with what appeared to be a warm baguette in his hand.

Despite being recorded by a spectator, the man took his time scanning the shelves before hastily exiting the branch in broad daylight.

It comes a week after three brazen thieves targeted a Greggs branch in South Ruislip as stunned staff and customers watched helplessly.

The greedy gang filled their bags with sandwiches, baked goods and drinks at the South Ruislip branch of the bakery chain at around 2pm on February 17.

In the footage recorded by a person watching the store, one of the thieves can be seen taking a bag full of Coca-Cola bottles.

The woman, wearing a long gray coat and hat, fills her bag and heads for the exit, while the other two people continue to empty the refrigerator of the patisserie.

A worker watches from behind the register as a second woman in a pink coat continues taking items from the refrigerator.

Another employee can be seen on the phone as the trio target the refrigerator in front of the counter.

The third person, wearing a black jacket and hat, can be seen throwing several bottles into his bag during the incident.

The footage was posted on TikTok and has been viewed more than 980,000 times.

Last July a thief was caught looting goods from one of the bakery chain’s stores on Deptford High Street in Lewisham; Meanwhile, both staff and customers were horrified.

Footage of the incident shows a gray-haired man wearing a black top with white stripes and black tracksuit bottoms, without a moment’s hesitation, taking items from the warm cupboard and piling them into a large laundry bag.

Once that was completely cleared he moved towards the fridges and started grabbing sandwiches and stuffed rolls.

Elsewhere, the chain’s flagship Leicester Square store had to hire a former military security guard to guard its pastries.

Greggs staff have even started wearing body cameras, which can record for up to 90 minutes, in some of its busiest stores.

The scheme has been introduced in the hope it will deter thieves following an alarming rise in theft and attacks on staff.

Greggs has been contacted for comment.