Co-op locks up £1.25 Galaxy chocolate bars inside security cases

05 January 2024 , 12:05

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Galaxy Chocolate bars priced at £1.25 in plastic security boxes at a Co-op store (Image: SWNS)

A supermarket is now protecting £1.25 bars of Galaxy chocolate from shoplifters by putting them inside locked security cases.

Supermarkets generally use the tech to prevent shoplifting of high-risk or high-priced items like razors, alcohol or electrical items. But this week the clear cases were protecting chocolate on shelves at the Co-op on Milton Road, Cambridge, on Wednesday (January 4).

A shopper said: "I did a double take when I saw it. It used to just be expensive items but now a bar of chocolate that costs just over £1? It's very sad."

The move comes amid soaring rates of shoplifting across the UK. In a report in October last year, data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed shoplifting offences recorded by police forces in England and Wales had risen by a quarter in the past year.

The Co-op said its food business lost £33m in the first six months of 2023. In May 2023, the Co-op put instant coffee in security cases - the same day food prices in the UK hit a new high. The supermarket brand has been approached for comment.

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The Co-op store on Milton Road in Cambridge that has Galaxy Chocolate bars at £1.25 in plastic security boxes (SWNS)

Meanwhile shoppers across the UK have reported more and more security tags on items in UK supermarkets. Photos have circulated on social media that show a range of anti-shoplifting measures being taken at different supermarkets with one of the most common ones being security tags or stickers. The "security protected" tags or yellow stickers activate an alarm if someone attempts to walk out of the store without paying for the item they're attached to. Staff remove the tags after the items are paid for.

In 2022, security tags began to be placed on Lurpak butter which famously skyrocketed in price - in some shops the price of a 1kg tub sat at £9. Stores such as Tesco and Asda were reported to be tagging these items. A number of major UK supermarkets including Tesco, Asda and Aldi were also reported as tagging their cheese.

More expensive cuts of meat - such as steak - have commonly had security tags placed onto them. However, the range of meat products now appears to have them. In a report by the Metro, security tags were put on a bagged roast chicken and a Tesco-branded Piri Piri half-chicken.

Dan Warburton