Why has Chocolate Become a Top Target for Thieves?
Chocolate bars are being locked in plastic security boxes in shops across the UK as retailers and police issue warn that thieves are stealing items to order.
Sainsbury's has confirmed it has begun using boxes on products which are regularly targeted, with £2.60 bars of Cadbury Dairy Milk among the items being locked up.
According to the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), chocolate was more recently being sold on by criminals and is now being targeted more frequently by prolific offenders. This trend has seen specific types of confectionery targeted for illegal resale in local markets.
Retailers use boxes to deter thieves
Individual police forces have reported a trend of chocolate being targeted by organised groups. The National Police Chiefs' Council says it is working to tackle this specific type of crime.
In recent months, several police forces have posted videos of chocolate being stolen to highlight the growing scale of the issue. West Midlands Police shared CCTV footage of an individual grabbing entire trays of chocolate from a shop in Stourbridge, while Wiltshire Police shared a video of a man dragging a whole shelving stand of chocolate out of a shop door.
Earlier last year, another man was arrested with a coat full of Cadbury's Creme eggs.
Criminals target chocolate for illicit resale
The impact on businesses and employees is a growing concern for industry leaders. Cambridgeshire Police told the BBC that chocolate is one of a number of high-value items thieves often target, along with products such as alcohol, meat and coffee.
"Retail theft has a real and lasting impact – not just on businesses, but on the staff who have to deal with related abuse and intimidation," a spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said.
The British Retail Consortium's annual crime report recently found there were 5.5 million detected incidents of shop theft in the UK last year, alongside 1,600 daily incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers.
Theft impacts staff safety and wellbeing
While reported incidents were down by a fifth on the previous year, the figures remain the second highest on record. Supermarkets are stepping up security on chocolate bars, with Tesco and Co-Op, as well as Sainsbury's, using transparent boxes which customers have to ask staff to open.
The Heart of England Co-Op group, which runs 38 stores across the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, told the BBC that chocolate theft cost the group £250,000 last year. It was the group's most stolen product in 2024 and was topped only by alcohol in 2025.
Five leading global chocolate manufacturing giants
The manufacturing landscape is dominated by several key players which are now seeing their products under high security:
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Mars, Inc. (USA): Traditionally the largest chocolate company in the world, generating approximately US$20bn in annual confectionery sales. Its iconic brands include M&M's, Snickers, Twix and Mars
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Ferrero Group (Italy/Luxembourg): Currently ranked as the second-largest manufacturer with about US$15.3bn in annual sales. It is famous for Nutella, Ferrero Rocher and the Kinder line
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MondelÄz International (USA): A major global player with US$11.8bn in chocolate-specific revenue. It owns world-renowned brands such as Cadbury, Milka, Toblerone and Cote d’Or
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The Hershey Company (USA): One of the largest producers in North America, with annual sales of US$8.9bn to US$10.4bn. Its flagship products include Hershey's Kisses, Reese's, and Kit Kat
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Nestlé (Switzerland): Rounding out the top five with roughly US$9bn in chocolate sales. While its total company revenue is massive, its dedicated chocolate segment is led by brands like Kit Kat, Crunchie and Smarties.
Calls for stronger policing and sentences
"Confectionery, like other products commonly stolen from local shops, is being re-sold through illicit markets that help fund wider criminal activity," said James Lowman, CEO of the Association of Convenience Stores.
James argued that, alongside better police support and effective sentences for repeat offenders, action is needed to shut down the networks re-selling stolen goods.
The National Police Chiefs' Council spokesperson said its Retail Crime Strategy brings together policing, retailers, the security industry and academia. This includes training for retailers and investment in technology such as Opal, a central intelligence unit that maps organised crime activity across the country.
