Greggs is removing its self-serve fridges and instead placing sandwiches behind the counter in an attempt to combat shoplifting.
The bakery chain, which has more than 2,600 shops across the UK, has launched the new trial in at least five stores, including one in Whitechapel, east London.
The new policy will mean customers will now be unable to pick up refrigerated sandwiches and drinks themselves and will instead need to ask a shop assistant to hand over what they would like from behind the counter.
It is understood this small trial is only being introduced in stores which are exposed to higher levels of shoplifting, and there are currently no plans to introduce this new format to all stores across the country.
A spokesperson for Greggs 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.”
In its latest trading report, Greggs said it made a pre-tax profit of £203.9 million in 2024, 8.3 per cent higher than in 2023, as it launched new shops, extended its opening hours and raised prices.
The bakery chain said in March many customers were continuing to worry about the cost of living, including energy prices, mortgage and rent costs.
The chain raised the prices of some of its food items last year – most recently, the national price of its traditional sausage roll increased by 5p to £1.30, while other items such as coffee and doughnuts also rose by between 5p and 10p.
It comes as the number of shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales in a year surpassed half a million for the first time on record, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Police recorded 516,971 shoplifting offences in 2024, a 20 per cent increase on the 429,873 offences in 2023 and the highest number recorded since modern record-keeping practices began in 2003.
The ONS said shoplifting offences have been running at record levels for the past two years, noting a "sharp rise" following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Retailers across the country are implementing new strategies in a crackdown on shoplifting.
Most recently, supermarket giant Sainsbury’s introduced ‘VAR-style’ cameras at self-checkouts, with customers being shown a replay if they do not scan items correctly.
