Supermarkets across the United Kingdom are placing chocolate bars inside anti-theft plastic boxes as shoplifting of confectionery continues to rise.
Major retail chains say the move is meant to stop organised theft of chocolate, which is now being stolen in bulk and resold through informal markets.
Stores including Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Co-op have begun securing high-risk chocolate products, especially popular bars priced around £2.60, which customers must request staff help to access.
Sunita Aggarwal, a convenience store owner in Leicester and Sheffield, said theft has become more frequent.
“People are just coming in and nicking boxes and boxes of chocolate,” she said.
Aggarwal added that illegal resale activity appears to be growing. Her stores now use more than 30 CCTV cameras and AI-assisted monitoring to detect suspicious behaviour.
To reduce losses, her team keeps shelves only half-filled and avoids placing chocolate in easily accessible promotional spots.
Another retailer, Fiona Avenal Malone in Wales, said chocolate theft costs her business about £200 to £300 weekly.
“We put out a full line of chocolate bars and suddenly only one is left,” she said.
“When we check the CCTV, we see it happening. It’s very frustrating.”
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Industry operators say chocolate has become a preferred target for organised shoplifting groups.
Paul Cheema, owner of Malcom’s convenience stores in Coventry, said chocolate is now heavily targeted in theft-to-order schemes.
“Chocolate is the new buzzword for organised crime,” Cheema said.
He explained that stolen chocolate is often carried away in backpacks and later resold to small food businesses.
Security spending by small retailers has increased as stores install more surveillance cameras and anti-theft technology.
Police forces have also shared footage of theft incidents to raise awareness.
West Midlands Police released CCTV images showing a man taking trays of chocolate from a shop in Stourbridge, while Wiltshire Police shared video of a suspect dragging a full chocolate shelf out of a store.
Cambridgeshire Police also arrested a man found wearing a coat stuffed with Cadbury’s Creme Eggs.
The British Retail Consortium reported about 5.5 million shoplifting incidents last year, along with roughly 1,600 daily cases of violence or abuse against retail workers.
The Association of Convenience Stores has called for stronger policing and tougher penalties to tackle networks reselling stolen goods.
Chief executive Steve Browne of Heart of England Co-op said chocolate theft has become a serious business challenge.
“In one shop, a single person could cost us thousands of pounds in a week,” he said.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said its retail crime strategy supports cooperation between police, retailers and security experts to reduce organised shoplifting and improve intelligence sharing.