Major supermarket locks up booze in fresh crackdown
Supermarkets across the UK are trying to clamp down on shoplifting.
A major British supermarket will lock away premium alcohol in a bid to slash shoplifting. Waitrose will trial the smart cabinet technology on bottles of champagne and premium spririts, after a huge surge in theft has spread across supermarkets in the UK.
At Sainsbury's, where similar technology has been tested, shoppers must go through a four-step process on touch-pad screens to access the products. It can also track how long the doors have been opened and which products have been removed, so staff can be alerted to any suspicious activity, such as a whole shelf being cleared. Waitrose has not commented on how these cabinets will work, but the trials are expected to start before the end of the year.
John Lewis, which owns Waitrose, reportedly told staff this showed they were not "standing still" on reducing crime, reports The Telegraph.
Other retailers have also trialled cabinets that only open when people scan their loyalty cards or put in their phone numbers.
A spokesperson for John Lewis said: “We are currently investing in a range of advanced technology, including smart technology to deter theft.
“As part of this we are planning to pilot lockable smart cabinets for areas such as spirits and champagne soon.
“We already use smart shelf technology in our health, beauty and spirits aisles, which are able to sense unusual customer behaviour, so this would provide an additional layer of security.”
It comes amid sky-high shoplifting rates. ONS crime statistics from April 23 showed there were 509,566 offences in the year ending December 2025, which was a 1% decline compared with the previous year.
Lucy Whing, crime policy adviser at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said their own figures showed 5.5million incidents of theft last year, and that ONS statistics likely underestimated the issue as it only captured reported incidents.
"The causes are manifold, but the rise in organised crime is particular worrying as gangs systematically target one store after another across the country," she said. "Retail theft also contributes to rising levels of violence and abuse against staff, with 1,600 incidents every day."
The Government is looking to introduce tougher consquences for retail theft through the Crime and Policing Bill. The perceived immunity granted to 'low-level' theft less than £200 would be removed, so offences are tried as ‘general theft’, which holds a maximum custodial sentence of seven years.
It will also become a standalone offence to assault a retail worker, with a maximum penalty of six months in prison, an unlimited fine, and a criminal behaviour order (CBO), which prohibits the offender from doing anything described in the order.
“It is vital that the Police make full use of this new legislation so we can bring these numbers down once and for all," added Ms Whing.
