Australian retailers are grappling with terrifying conditions as retail crime worsens, costing staff and customers’ peace of mind and businesses big bucks.

Gone are the days of the odd shoplifter stuffing items into a bag. Shoplifting has evolved into organised crime, intimidation, and even armed attacks inside shopping centres. For retailers, the ripple effects are hard to ignore. Everything from staff safety to customer confidence ahve been affected and profit margins are also on the line.

From theft to violence

The numbers paint a grim picture. The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) says around 800,000 retail crime incidents were reported in the past year, with 16 per cent involving threats or violence. More than half of those were classified as “serious,” including physical abuse or the use of weapons.

In Victoria, police recorded 82,152 retail crime incidents in the past year. That’s up nearly 28 per cent. Worse still, threatening behaviour jumped by 52 per cent and weapon-related crime spiked by 66 per cent, according to an opinion piece by ARA chief executive Chris Rodwell in The Australian Financial Review.

Rodwell warned that if left to run rampant, the problem could turn shopping strips and malls into ghost towns.

“We cannot accept that an 18-year-old shop assistant or a parent with kids in tow should have to navigate threats, weapons or violence just to get through a shift or pick up their groceries,” he wrote.

Supermarkets on the frontline

Big retailers are already making significant changes to cope. According to AFR, Woolworths has locked down its stores 45 times in the first half of this year alone due to security incidents, while Coles has reported 40 per cent more retail crime in Victoria than in NSW.

To protect staff, Woolies has issued body cameras to team members in more than 350 stores and rolled out earpieces and enhanced CCTV. Coles has trained thousands of staff in de-escalation techniques, including virtual reality simulations on what to do in an armed attack.

Despite these efforts, Woolworths director of stores Jeanette Fenske admitted, “They have not stopped the escalation of violence.”

The toll on workers

It’s not just about stolen goods. The human impact is profound. WA Police revealed to WA Todayd that more than 400 people were charged with assaulting retail workers in the past year. Bunnings says assaults and abuse in its stores are up 50 per cent over the last two years.

Scott Harris, a workplace safety trainer who works with retailers like Woolworths and Bunnings, told the ARA Retail Crime Symposium that 80 per cent of retail violence occurs when staff try to stop theft. He said younger workers tend to step back rather than confront offenders – a safer strategy – while older workers are more likely to get involved and end up at greater risk.

Beyond physical harm, retailers report rising levels of mental and emotional distress among their teams. The ARA found 41 per cent of retailers identified mental health as the biggest consequence of retail crime, and more than 80 per cent put it in their top three concerns.

Technology, training and tougher laws

So what’s the answer?

Retailers are experimenting with new tools. Body cameras and earpieces are already in play. Facial recognition technology is being trialled overseas with promising results. In New Zealand, a supermarket pilot cut serious harm by 16 per cent. Although its use in Australia will require strong governance and public trust.

Governments are stepping in too. The Victorian government has banned machetes, tightened bail laws, and given police new powers to tackle crime hotspots. WA created a specific offence for assaulting retail workers, leading to hundreds of charges in the first year.

But business leaders say more needs to be done. Daniel Agostinelli, chief executive of Accent Group, told AFR that violence and theft were scaring customers away from suburban malls and making it harder to hire staff.

“At the end of the day, we sell shoes. We are not qualified in this space. The landlords and the authorities need to do more with security overall,” he said.

Rodwell argues the issue won’t be solved by retailers alone.

“Facing this challenge requires better collaboration across industry, governments, unions, police and consumers,” he said.

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