One in five shoppers say they’ve witnessed retail violence or abuse in store…

Millions of people across the UK are still being exposed to incidents of violence and abuse in shops, according to newly published research from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

The BRC-Opinium survey indicates that more than 14 million individuals have seen retail workers subjected to mistreatment over the past year. This includes incidents involving racial or sexual abuse, physical assault or threats with weapons.

Just over one in five respondents (21%) reported witnessing such behaviour while shopping. Although this marks a slight decrease compared with last year’s figure of 23%, the overall level remains a significant concern.

The findings also point to the ongoing prevalence of theft. Almost a quarter of those surveyed (23%) said they had observed shoplifting, a figure largely unchanged from the previous year’s 24%.

Additional data from the BRC highlights the scale of the issue facing retailers. On average, there were around 1,600 incidents of abuse or violence directed at shop workers every day last year. While this represents a drop compared to the year before, it is still among the highest levels recorded.

Of these daily incidents, more than 100 involved physical assault, with dozens including the use of a weapon –underlining the seriousness of the risks faced by retail staff.