Co-op lines shelves with empty 'dummy' Ferrero Rocher boxes in latest tactic to deter shoplifters after supermarket displayed half-empty bottles of ketchup and locked up coffee, honey and meat worth as little as £3.75
- Shoppers wanting the chocolates will have to take dummy packs to the checkout
Co-op stores have lined their shelves with empty 'dummy' Ferrero Rocher boxes in their latest bid to deter shoplifters.
This comes just weeks after the UK supermarket displayed half-empty bottles of ketchup and locked up other household items such as coffee, honey and meat - some packets worth as little as £3.75.
Shoppers seeking out the chocolate treats will now have to take the dummy packs to the checkouts where they will be exchanged for the real thing amid a shoplifting epidemic hitting the country.
This is despite the high-end treat being marketed for just £7.35 at the high street store - where Lindt and Thorntons chocolates have also been locked away.
The empty plastic boxes can be seen with part of the familiar gold packaging - and a sticker titled: 'Anti-theft display boxes'.
Shoppers seeking out the chocolate treats will now have to take the dummy packs to the checkouts where they will be exchanged for the real thing
This is despite the high-end treat being marketed for just £7.35 at the high street store - where Lindt and Thorntons chocolates have also been locked away
Other products using dummy packaging include coffee, higher value chocolates, washing powder and laundry gel
The dummy packaging will be used in stores deemed higher-risk while bodycams for staff (pictured) and GPS-tracked security cases are used for higher-value items
The description adds: 'Please pop the empty box in your basket and we'll swap it at the till.'
The dummy packaging will be used in stores deemed higher-risk while bodycams and staff and GPS-tracked security cases are used for higher-value items.
Other products using dummy packaging include coffee, higher value chocolates, washing powder and laundry gel.
The move is designed to curb bulk shoplifting - where products are swept from the shelves by criminals into bags or even wheelie bins.
It comes just weeks after the supermarket warned that they face almost 1,000 incidents every day in the six month leading to June 2023 - an increase of more than a third on last year.
And nearly three quarters of retail crime is not responded to by police - a shocking freedom of information request by the company has revealed.
In a strongly worded post on their website, the company said: 'Criminals have "freedom to loot" with rampant levels of out-of-control crime predominantly committed by repeat and prolific offenders, with drug or alcohol addictions and local organised criminal gangs, among the main drivers of offending.'
Kate Graham, Director of Operations, Co-op, added: 'Crime in many communities is increasing, and it is known that repeat and prolific offenders and, local organised criminal gangs are driving serious incidents of brazen and violent theft in stores.
Co-op store in Manor House, north London, where a spate of thefts caused the store to encase products in plastic security boxes
Ferrero Rocher alongside an assortment of other products were encased in plastic security boxes
Instant coffee was also boxed in secure containers in an attempt by the store to keep shoplifters away
Branded honey was also put under lock and key in the high-street chain despite being priced at just £3.70
'It is an ongoing challenge for all retailers, and often a flashpoint for attacks and abuse towards our colleagues.
READ MORE: Now supermarkets display half-empty bottles of ketchup to deter shoplifters: Co-op lines shelves with 'display-only' items after locking up chocolate, coffee and honey
A Co-op in east London displayed half-empty bottles of Heinz ketchup
'Co-op continues to invest significantly in keeping colleagues and stores safe. This includes extending our use of dummy display cases to deter the incidents of ‘bulk-shoplifting’ or, ‘looting’, as it has been described, where criminals sweep products off shelves for re-sale.
'While we are doing all we can, we also need the police to play their part as too often, Forces fail to respond to desperate calls by our store teams and criminals operate in communities without any fear of consequences.'
It comes as rampant inflation has increased the price of a typical weekly family shop by more than a third in just two years.
Analysis of official statistics by the Liberal Democrats suggests prices of a host of staples have risen by 37 per cent since the summer of 2021.
Leader Sir Ed Davey said the increases would add around £870 a year to a family's food bill and accused Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of being 'missing in action' while people suffered with 'soaring' food prices.
The party's price comparison is based on Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, and looks at 16 items including beef mince, tea and coffee, butter, lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, oranges and bananas.
In May a Co-op store put dummy coffee on its shelves and placed security trackers on jars as product prices soar amid the cost of living crisis.
Staff at a franchise in north-east London put 'display only' coffee jars on it shelves after a 200g jar of Kenco Smooth instant coffee rose 13 per cent in price.
Nescafe Gold Blend was also removed from shelves after rising to £9.35, locals claim, noting how the security measures are 'heartbreaking' and a 'sign of the times'.
Staff at a store in Walthamstow placed a note on shelves were instant coffee was once stocked that read: 'This product is a dummy, not for sale, please ask a member of staff for help.'
Half-empty 460g squeezy bottles of Heinz ketchup, priced at £2.50, were also marked 'Display Only'.
Customers at the Co-op in east London were told by a sign to speak to a member of staff for help.
The company say one store did this after a local issue and it has subsequently been removed.
