The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that the number of shoplifting offences in England and Wales rose to 529,994 in the 12months to June 2025, a +13% increase year-on-year.

Numbers of reported retail thefts fell marginally (-0.1%) this quarter compared to the ONS’ previous report – its data showed that 530,643 instances were reported in the 12months to March 2025.

However, retail associations and industry bodies warn that the picture could be much graver, owing to the large number of crimes that go unreported.

Reporting gaps in retail crime

“Retail theft is a major issue for retailers, costing over £2.2billion a year,” said the British Retail Consortium (BRC)’s Crime Policy Adviser, Lucy Whing. “While [the] ONS figures do not reveal the true scale of the issue – as it only tracks reported incidents – it chimes with our own statistics, which show shoplifting soaring in recent years.”

The British Independent Retailers Association‘s (Bira) own crime survey revealed that 83% of independent retailers have seen theft worsening over the past year, with physical abuse incidents nearly doubling. It also showed that repeat offenders accounted for nearly 70% of all instances of crime its members experienced.

However, the Bira poll also showed that the vast majority of crimes remain unreported.

91% of physical abuse incidents experienced by independent retailers and 47% of thefts are not reported to the authorities, meaning the true scale of retail crime could be “far greater” than the official ONS figures, it said.

“Independent retailers are the backbone of our high streets and need visible support now to protect their businesses, their staff and their livelihoods,” said Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira.

Separate figures from the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) also suggest a reporting gap; its 2025 ACS Crime Report estimates that there were 6.2million+ incidents of theft recorded by convenience retailers in the last 12months.