Chocolate Anti Theft sees Dairy Milk and Lindt locked in London supermarkets

Supermarkets in London and across the UK are locking bars of Cadbury and Lindt in clear cases as retailers roll out chocolate anti theft measures after what industry groups and police describe as a rise in thefts sold on by organised criminals.

Shops lock high-value bars after targeted thefts

Shoppers are finding 120g bars of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk and Oreo, marked at £1. 50 (reduced from £2. 40), and higher-end bars such as £3 Tony’s Chocolonely and £3. 85 Green & Black’s and Lindt Excellence secured in transparent boxes or behind sliding plastic barriers in central London stores. Sainsbury’s said it had begun using "boxes on products which are regularly targeted. " boxes are one of several steps where theft levels are higher.

Chocolate Anti Theft measures rolled out across multiple chains

Supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Co-Op have introduced clear plastic cases that customers must ask staff to open; some boxes are fitted with electronic alarms. Retailers have also used shelf-edge protection, security tags and restricted fill as part of a bigger push that Lucy Whing, crime policy lead at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), says follows more than £5bn invested by retailers in the last five years to tackle theft and crime.

Police footage shows organised thefts and dramatic hauls

Police forces have posted videos in recent months showing dramatic shoplifting incidents: West Midlands Police shared CCTV of a man grabbing trays of chocolate outside a shop in Stourbridge, and Wiltshire Police shared footage of a man dragging a whole shelving stand of chocolate out through a shop door. Earlier last year Cambridgeshire Police arrested a man with a coat reportedly full of Cadbury’s Crème Eggs.

Retail and official figures underline the scale of the problem

The British Retail Consortium's annual crime report found 5. 5 million detected incidents of shop theft last year and 1, 600 daily incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers; the report said this was down by a fifth on the previous year but still the second highest on record. Official figures published in July showed the number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales reached 530, 643 in 2024-2025, up 20% from 444, 022 in 2023-2024, the highest total since 2002-2003. The BRC also said retailers faced 5. 5 million incidents that cost them more than £400m.

Local operators and chiefs describe steep costs and staff impact

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; chocolate was its most stolen product in 2024 and was topped only by alcohol in 2025. Chief executive Steve Browne described chocolate theft as a "massive issue, " saying a single individual could cost a shop thousands of pounds in a week and that a shelf of chocolate could be worth £500; the group has spent £3m on security and other measures. Sunita Aggarwal, who runs two convenience stores in Leicester and Sheffield, said she has reduced the amount of chocolate on display in her Sheffield store because "people are just coming in, and nicking boxes and boxes of chocolate. " Chris Noice from the Association of Convenience Stores said chocolate and sweets have long been among the top three items targeted, though the pattern has shifted from occasional opportunists to more organised activity.

What police and industry leaders are calling for

Some police forces have said they have seen a specific trend of chocolate being targeted, and the National Police Chiefs' Council said it was working to tackle the type of crime. A spokesperson warned many incidents are linked to organised crime, where thieves steal "high-value" goods to order. Chief executive James Lowman said confectionery is being re-sold through illicit markets that help fund wider criminal activity and called for better police support and effective sentences to shut down the networks re-selling stolen goods. The Association of Convenience Stores urged more support for retail workers and stronger sentences for criminals.

Next steps confirmed in the coverage include ongoing police work to tackle the trend and continued retailer rollouts of clear security boxes and shelf protections; the immediate focus for stores is protecting stock such as £2. 60 Cadbury bars and higher-priced premium chocolate while investigations and security measures continue.