Blame Broken Britain for sandwich thieves in Greggs

The wildly successful high-street bakery Greggs whose Steak Bakes are a national institution, and whose new Mac Cheese has already become a TikTok sensation has finally had its fill of petty thieving. Having become known as something of a shoplifters’ paradise, it is to crack down on the snatch-and-grab pilferers.

- JAMES MOORE

Such has been the increase in shoplifting throughout its 2,600plus stores that head office has decreed that some of its on-thego sandwich ranges are to be moved from self-serve fridges and into glass-screened units behind the counter. In order to get a ham baguette in some shops, customers will have to ask a server.

Five stores located in “shoplifting hotspots” – which include Whitechapel, in east London – will trial the new shop format, to see if it has a meaningful impact on what the company describes as “anti-social behaviour”, but which others might prefer to call “criminal activity”.

It’s a small start, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it extended throughout the chain – and even to other food retailers.

Shoplifting has become one of Britain’s growth industries. According to the latest British Retail Consortium (BRC) annual crime survey, there were more than 20 million incidents of theft in 2024, up from 16 million in the previous year’s edition.