Marks & Spencer Chief on Self-Service Theft

0:00On April 24th, Marx and Spencer Chairman Archie Norman is calling out self-service checkouts for turning everyday shoppers into accidental thieves. He says these unmantils are tough to use, breaking that key human connection at the register, so good folks just skip scanning items like strawberries when glitches hit and no one's around to help. M&S has ramped up installations big time, rolling out 800 more cross-stores in 2023 to save 150 million pounds. Norman is not pushing to ditch them entirely, just make the techway smoother to cut down on those slip-ups that lead to theft. Retellers are feeling the heat from Boulder Crimes too, like the mob of 100 teens who trashed a Clapham store last month. Norman wants London Mayor Sadeek Khan to prioritize real policing for these gang sweeps and bosses at places like Sainsbury's agree with their chief. Using facial recognition tech, slash thefts by 46% in test stores. Shoplifting reports hit 500 and 5566 incidents this year in 2025, down just 1% from last year.

1:06But experts think that's partly because violent thefts are now logged as robberies instead, hiding the true rise. Bottom line, retailers are pushing for better tech and stronger cops on the beat to keep stores safe. And honest shoppers honest.