Chocolate Theft: Shops Lock Chocolate as chocolate theft Rises
Supermarkets and independent shops are placing chocolate bars in transparent anti-theft boxes as chocolate theft becomes an escalating problem. Retailers, police forces and trade bodies say the thefts are increasingly organised and are being sold on by criminals.
Chocolate Theft in London Stores
Sainsbury's has begun using what it called "boxes on products which are regularly targeted", with £2. 60 bars of Cadbury Dairy Milk locked up in one London branch. Other supermarkets have followed suit, fitting transparent boxes that customers must ask staff to open.
Police footage and local incidents
Some individual police forces have seen a clear trend of chocolate being targeted. In recent months police forces have posted videos of chocolate being stolen: West Midlands Police shared CCTV footage of a man grabbing trays of chocolate from a shop in Stourbridge, and Wiltshire Police shared a video of a man dragging a whole shelving stand of chocolate out of a shop door. Earlier last year a man was arrested by Cambridgeshire Police with a coat full of Cadbury's Crème eggs.
Trade groups and chiefs respond
The Association of Convenience Stores said confectionery is "sold on by criminals and is now being targeted more frequently by prolific offenders. " The National Police Chiefs' Council said it was working to tackle this type of crime. Chief executive James Lowman described confectionery as being resold through illicit markets and said: "Alongside better police support and effective sentences for repeat offenders, we need action to shut down the networks re-selling stolen goods. " The ACS also said retail workers need more support from police and stronger sentences for criminals.
Retail losses and store measures
The Heart of England Co-Op group, which runs 38 stores in the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, said chocolate theft cost it £250, 000 last year. The group said chocolate was its most stolen product in 2024 and was topped only by alcohol in 2025. Chief executive Steve Browne called chocolate theft a "massive issue", and said: "In a particular shop, one individual could cost us thousands of pounds in a week. They were coming in... then literally swiping the whole shelf. " He added that a shelf of chocolate could be worth £500 and that the group had spent £3m on security and other measures to prevent thefts.
Independent shops and staff impact
Independent retailers say the problem is affecting how they display stock. Sunita Aggarwal, who runs two convenience stores in Leicester and Sheffield, has reduced the amount of chocolate on display in her Sheffield store because of increasing theft. "People are just coming in, and nicking boxes and boxes of chocolate, " she said. Cambridgeshire Police noted that "Chocolate is one of a number of high-value items thieves often target, along with products such as alcohol, meat and coffee, " and warned that "Retail theft has a real and lasting impact – not just on businesses, but on the staff who have to deal with related abuse and intimidation. "
The British Retail Consortium's annual crime report found there were 5. 5 million detected incidents of shop theft last year and 1, 600 daily incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers. Although this was down by a fifth on the previous year, it remained the second highest on record. Supermarkets named as tightening security on chocolate bars include Sainsbury's, Tesco and Co-Op, all using transparent boxes that require staff intervention to access.
Retailers, police and trade bodies continue to describe a sequence of targeted thefts, publicised police footage and rising losses at local groups and independent shops as they roll out anti-theft measures and call for tougher action and support.
