Let’s Respect Retail Mirror Campaign: 54% Face Weekly Abuse
The Retail Trust has launched its Let’s Respect Retail campaign with the Daily Mirror after a poll found 54% of UK shopworkers face weekly abuse, up from 33% two years ago. Campaigners want ministers to bring a new assault offence into force before Christmas.
The Retail Trust, a UK charity that supports shopworkers, has launched its Let’s Respect Retail campaign with the Daily Mirror, after a poll found 54% of retail staff now face abuse or attacks from customers every week. That is up from 33% two years ago.
The Let’s Respect Retail Mirror campaign is part of a nationwide week of action. It calls on ministers to bring a new criminal offence for assaulting retail workers into force before the Christmas shopping rush.
An open letter from retail bosses, including Theo Paphitis, Primark and Sainsbury's, urges the public to help turn the tide of violence.
What the Retail Trust found
Overall, 79% of retail staff experienced an abusive or violent situation in the past year. More than a third said they feel unsafe at work.
Some 38% said they or a colleague had been filmed without consent, up from 30% 12 months earlier. Nearly half, 48%, said the abuse has made them want to leave retail for good.
The Office for National Statistics says about three million people work in retail across the UK, around 8% of the workforce. Most are in customer-facing roles, which suggests roughly a million frontline staff face regular verbal abuse, threats or violence.
A law not yet in force
The Crime and Policing Act 2026 created a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker in England and Wales. It carries up to six months in prison and an unlimited fine. The provision has not yet come into force.
Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said Christmas is the busiest period for shops. “We see higher levels of anxiety among shop workers, and unfortunately more assaults - partly because people are more stressed and partly because footfall is so much higher,” he said. “Now is the time for this law to come in.”
Chris Evans, Labour MP for Caerphilly, who previously worked in a bookmakers and at a bank, welcomed the government’s move. He said ministers should bring forward the start date and invest more in retail workers’ wellbeing as part of the newly announced High Streets Strategy.
Joanne Thomas, general secretary of the shopworkers’ union Usdaw, said: “This is not a victimless crime.” She said repeated offences can cause anxiety, fear and physical harm to staff on the frontline.
Shopkeeper Benedict Selvaratnam needed stitches to the back of his head after confronting a shoplifter, according to the campaign.
