Supermarkets across London are locking chocolate bars in anti-theft boxes. The move follows an increase in shoplifting driven by organized crime gangs.
The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) reported that prolific offenders are targeting sweets, including £2.60 Cadbury Dairy Milk bars, stealing them to order.
The stolen goodies are then resold on illegal markets and fund wider criminal activity.
To tackle the theft incidents, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and the Co-op have introduced clear plastic boxes which can only be accessed with the help of staff.
The Heart of England Co-Op group reported that chocolate theft cost it around £250,000, making it the second most stolen item after alcohol in 2025.
In footage recently shared by Wiltshire Police, a man was seen pulling an entire rack of chocolates out of a shop door. In a separate incident, Cambridgeshire Police arrested a person with a coat filled with Cadbury’s Creme Eggs.
Across the country, the British Retail Consortium reported 5.5 million recorded incidents of shoplifting as well as 1,600 violent incidents against retail workers on a daily basis.
ACS calls on the government to increase police support and toughen penalties. The National Police Chiefs’ Council stated that their retail crime strategy helps to build intelligence and bring offenders to justice.
