Key facts
- 44% of UK retail workers are considering quitting due to mental health and wellbeing concerns.
- 52% of retail workers have experienced verbal abuse in the past year.
- 15% of retail staff feel unsafe at work, with 18% facing harassment and 12% threatened with physical abuse.
- Retailers have invested £5.5bn in crime reduction over the last five years.
- Retail bosses are urging the government to address rising workplace aggression and crime.
Nearly half of the UK's retail workers are contemplating leaving the sector due to mental health concerns, with a significant majority reporting experiences of abuse at work. Data from employment support firm Sonder indicates that 52% of retail staff have faced verbal abuse in the past year, and 44% are considering quitting over health and wellbeing issues. Retail workers experience abuse at nearly twice the rate of the average employee, with 15% reporting feeling unsafe, 18% facing harassment, and 12% being threatened with physical violence.
Despite retailers investing approximately £5.5bn in crime reduction over the last five years, over 1,600 violent incidents against shop workers are recorded daily, according to the British Retail Consortium. This rise in workplace aggression exacerbates staffing challenges, with 59% of retail staff stating that employee absences increase pressure on stretched teams. Craig Cowdrey, CEO of Sonder, highlighted that repeated exposure to aggression significantly impacts workers' health and influences their decision to remain in the sector, posing a growing challenge for retailers amid rising employment costs.
In response to these issues, several retail leaders have urged the government to take action. Over 80 retail bosses recently warned the Prime Minister about the precarious position of retail as a gateway industry for young workers, citing increased costs and complex employment law changes. M&S CEO Stuart Machin previously wrote to the Home Secretary about "brazen, organised, aggressive" retail crime. Lord Richard Walker, the boss of Iceland, has controversially suggested that retail staff should be armed with pepper spray and truncheons to handle aggressive shoplifters.