DESPITE significant investments in anti-theft measures, Australia’s big two supermarkets have reported ongoing stock loss issues in financial reports released this week.

In Woolworths Group’s full year results announcement yesterday, “stock loss increases” were one of several key drivers attributed to a 25 bps decrease in gross margin this year.

In comments to media this week following the release of Coles’ Full Year results announcement on Tuesday, Coles CEO Leah Weckert said organised crime gangs were robbing premium meat from supermarkets to sell to the restaurant trade for a quick profit.

She said Coles’ work with police had uncovered stolen meat from its stores was finding its way to restaurants willing to purchase the stolen property.

Escalating costs in the hospitality sector and falling consumer demand due to the high cost of living was fuelling the black market trade, The Australian reported.

Highest crime rates in Victoria

Ms Weckert said the crime wave was operating at an “industrial level”, with the highest crime rates occurring in Victoria.

Victoria’s Crime Statistics Agency reports that theft offences have continued to rise sharply, with nearly a quarter of a million offences recorded in the 12 months to June 2025. Increases were largest for thefts from motor vehicles and retail stores, with many of these offences linked to repeat offending.

The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and National Retail Association (NRA) also confirmed this week that retailers across Australia are making further major investments in creating safer workplaces in the face of significant industry challenges, especially in response to the surge in retail crime.

“It’s clear the levels of retail crime present far and away the biggest risk to workers. As a result, retailers are investing heavily in training programs around customer aggression, frontline safety and, where possible, in workplace redesign,” ARA CEO Chris Rodwell said.

Highlighting the growing concern for retail staff safety, a Woolworths spokesperson revealed to the Australian Financial Review this week that it has had to lock down stores 45 times across the country in the first half of this year because of security incidents.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has told media she will introduce legislation this year to protect retail workers from a surge in violence in the State.

2023 saw major upgrades in supermarket surveillance and staff safety

In 2023, with the rising cost-of-living crisis being blamed for increased rates of organised retail crime and customer theft and associated violence towards staff, supermarkets moved to implement heightened surveillance and employee safety measures.

Woolworths announced it was rolling out more than $40 million of investments including Scan Assist technology in 474 supermarkets to address rising stock losses and CCTV upgrades, body-worn cameras and other measures to strengthen staff safety.

In the same year, in response to a reported annual 20 per cent rise in stock loss, Coles announced significant upgrades to anti-theft technology in its stores including overhead cameras, trolley wheel locks, smart gates and even fog machines designed to let off a cloud of heavy fog over registers, checkouts and shelves whenever an alarm was triggered.

A Woolworths spokesperson told Beef Central that specific commercial information in relation to rates of theft or stock loss could not be disclosed, but said there were a number of measures in place to reduce stock loss.

“We have a number of initiatives we use, both covert and overt, to help reduce acts of theft and violence across our store network.

“These include the use of camera technology at checkouts, double welcome gates, CCTV and a trial of gates at the exit to our self-serve checkout areas.”

Truck load of meat missing in Canada

Meat theft is a problem beyond Australia, with one current incident in Canada showing scale is no deterrent.

Canadian police are currently investigating the daytime theft of a semi-trailer from a parking lot in Windsor loaded with 536 boxes of boneless beef chuck worth AUD$247,421.

Two males were seen breaking into the truck and driving away with the trailer, which was last seen moving along a highway. Law enforcement agencies have yet to locate the truck or its cargo.

Statistics from CargoNet, an American agency that tracks cargo theft across Canada and the US, show that strategic theft now represents about 40 percent of all cargo theft incidents, up from single-digits only a few years ago.

Food and beverage shipments remain the top target for criminals it said, with 180 incidents reported in Q2 2025 alone, a 68pc year-on-year increase, with alcohol, energy drinks, and frozen meat “perennial favourites for cargo thieves because they can be consumed quickly, leaving little trace for investigators”.