Fighting Retail Crime Together – ShopKind Week

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Published 2 Jul 2025 in Raising Awareness
As part of our ongoing commitment to creating a safe, respectful and welcoming environment for both our colleagues and customers, we’re proud to support the ShopKind campaign.
Hear from the Safer Stores team on the ShopKind campaign and what we’re doing to keep colleagues safe…
What is Shopkind
ShopKind is a retail industry campaign, co-ordinated by ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) on behalf of the UK Home Office, that is responding to the growing problem of abuse and violence toward shopworkers. The aims are simple:
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Encourage kind behaviour in shops.
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Acknowledge the essential role of shopworkers in our communities.
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Raise awareness about the scale and impact of abuse and violence towards shopworkers.

What we’re doing:
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Posters and messaging around the store will remind customers to treat everyone with respect.
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Continue our zero tolerance approach to violent incidents towards colleagues.
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Managers are here to listen and act — if something doesn’t feel right, speak up.
What you can do:
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Lead by example: Keep up the brilliant customer service you’re known for, even when things get busy.
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Stay calm and professional in challenging moments.
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Report any abusive behaviour immediately to your manager or supervisor.
How the police are supporting our cause
On Tuesday, Simon Foster, Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands, joined us in Walsall Town Centre Food to support the campaign. His attendance highlights the strength of our ongoing partnership with local policing teams and our shared commitment to tackling violence and abuse against retail workers.
Our continued push as a business for cultural change helped in lobbying for the change in the Crime and Policing Bill, where we secured over 15,000 member signatures to support making violence against retail workers a specific offence.
Raising awareness at Walsall Town Centre Food store with Simon Foster, Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands