Greggs Tests Behind-Counter Product Storage in Select UK Stores

Greggs has begun removing self-service fridges from stores as part of a trial to curb shoplifting and attacks on staff, GB News reported. The bakery chain is testing a new layout in branches including West Croydon, Peckham, Whitechapel and Upton Park in London, as well as sites in Birmingham and Wilford in Nottinghamshire.

Under the changes, all products are kept behind counters, with staff required to hand items directly to customers.

At the newly refurbished West Croydon branch, only small items such as sugar sachets, napkins and stirrers remain freely accessible. If successful, the scheme could be rolled out across Greggs’ 2,700-plus UK stores. The move follows violent incidents at the West Croydon branch, where one worker had scalding tea thrown in their face and a security guard was attacked with a belt in a separate incident.

“The branch has struggled because of all the homeless outside taking drugs and drinking alcohol who come in and help themselves,” one worker said. Staff at the Peckham store stated that the changes have improved working conditions. The overhaul occurs amid a surge in retail crime, with shoplifting offences rising by 133 per cent over five years.

More than 530,000 shoplifting cases were recorded in 2024/25, up from around 228,000 in 2020/21. Fewer than one in five shoplifting cases resulted in charges last year. 5 per cent for shoplifting cases.

Greggs has also dealt with repeated thefts by prolific offenders. One man stole goods dozens of times from a single store in west London. CCTV showed the man filling bags with drinks while staff were unable to intervene, and he later admitted multiple thefts and received a suspended prison sentence.

““It’s a bit grim but they’ve clearly had enough of shoplifters,” one customer told The Sun.”

““Our communities deserve better than the surge of shoplifting that’s ransacking our local high streets. Retail workers have in too many cases been left to fend for themselves as hundreds of thousands of shoplifters get away scot-free,” Liberal Democrat MP Max Wilkinson said.”

“Staff at the Peckham store said the changes have improved their working conditions, with one employee noting the system “does make life easier.””