More than half of UK shop workers now face abuse every week, according to a Retail Trust survey of 1,138 retail workers published on 9 November. The share stands at 54%, up from 43% last year and 33% in 2024, as the charity launches a national campaign for the festive trading period.
The Retail Trust’s annual survey found that 79% of respondents had experienced abuse or violence from members of the public over the past year, against 77% in 2025. Almost a quarter reported a physical attack. 38% said they or a colleague had been filmed without consent, up from 30% a year earlier. Retail Gazette reported the findings on 9 November. The coverage does not break the results down by employer type, so it gives no separate figure for franchised, company-managed or independent shops.
Stress, safety and staff retention
The survey links the abuse to wellbeing and retention. Of those affected, 70% reported stress or anxiety about going to work, and more than a third said they felt unsafe at work. 48% admitted that worsening abuse had made them consider quitting their job or leaving retail altogether, up from 43% in 2025. For multi-site operators, including franchised networks, staff turnover and recruitment are running costs that sit alongside rent, rates and wages. The survey also found that 84% of respondents had witnessed shoplifting over the past year, with 35% seeing it daily.
The Let’s Respect Retail campaign
The Retail Trust launched its nationwide Let’s Respect Retail campaign on 9 November. Messages encouraging customers to “start with hello” will appear across thousands of shops, shopping centres, cinemas and railway stations, with the aim of encouraging customers to treat staff with greater kindness during the busy festive period. Retailers backing the campaign include Sainsbury’s, Next, Currys, EE and Holland & Barrett, company-run estates rather than the operator networks behind the food and drink franchises in the UK.
Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said shop workers “have had enough of being shouted at, threatened, and treated with contempt”. He added that aggressive customer behaviour is increasingly seen as part of the job, which he said damages morale and drives experienced people out of the sector.
Good to know
The figures come from a survey of 1,138 shop workers by a charity, not from official crime statistics. Retail Gazette presents them as the Retail Trust’s own annual research, and year-on-year comparisons refer to the charity’s previous surveys.
The festive trading period ahead
The campaign starts as retailers enter Christmas trading, the busiest period of the retail year. Retail Gazette describes the findings as showing the growing impact of retail crime and aggressive customer behaviour on staff wellbeing, with calls for shoppers to show greater respect. British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson also commented on the findings, and the campaign sits alongside wider debate about retail crime and the policing of repeat offenders.
The Retail Trust has not published a breakdown by region, format or employer type in the coverage, so the survey gives a sector-wide picture rather than a view of any one network, including those recruiting across the UK franchise directory. The charity’s next annual survey will show whether the weekly figure of 54% holds or moves again.
