Greggs has put sandwiches and drinks behind counters in some London stores to help fend off shoplifters.
The bakery chain typically displays the items in self-service fridges, but has ditched this in at least five stores due to a spate of thefts.
Its site in Whitechapel is among five where the initiative has been launched. The others are in Peckham and Ilford.
The company is among a raft of retail firms to have reported a jump in crimes in recent years, including attempted violence against staff members.
A Greggs spokeswoman said: “This is one of a number of initiatives we are trialling across a handful of shops which are exposed to higher levels of anti-social behaviour.
“Customers can expect to see our full range of great value and tasty Greggs favourites available from behind the counter.
“The safety of our colleagues and customers remains our number one priority.”
It follows reports in the Sun that showed thieves were targeting some Greggs shops every 20 minutes.
Earlier this year, boss Roisin Currie also said the business was trialling initiatives including high-security doors, panic alarms, and a system that instantly shares shoplifter images with police.
Meanwhile, it has introduced body-worn cameras for staff in some of its other stores.
It comes as figures in April showed that London’s soaring rate of shoplifting has continued to accelerate over recent months, with offences increasing 54 per cent in 2024.
The latest ONS statistics show that almost 90,000 shoplifting offences were recorded in the capital in 2024, up from roughly 58,000 the previous year.
