Shoplifting losses in German retail hit record €4.3 billion in 2025, EHI study finds
Customer theft, employee theft and organised crime drove losses to a fourth consecutive annual high, according to the EHI retail research institute.
Record losses
Losses from theft in German retail climbed to more than €4.3 billion in 2025, a 3.1 percent increase on the previous year and the fourth straight annual rise, according to a study by the Cologne-based EHI retail research institute. The figure marks a new peak. Total inventory discrepancies, which also include organisational errors such as incorrect price labelling, rose 3.2 percent to €5.11 billion, another record. Retailers lose roughly one percent of their revenue to these discrepancies, and the German state misses out on about €590 million in VAT receipts each year, EHI estimates.
Who is stealing?
Customer theft accounted for the largest share, at around €3.05 billion. One third of that sum is attributed to organised criminal groups. The institute’s expert Frank Horst described the fight against organised and commercial theft as the biggest challenge. Employees of the retail companies themselves caused losses of €910 million, while personnel from suppliers and service firms (such as tradespeople and cleaning staff) were responsible for a further €370 million.
- Customer theft
- 3.05 € bn
- Employee theft
- 0.91 € bn
- Supplier/service staff theft
- 0.37 € bn
Drivers of the surge
Between 2020 and 2025, total theft losses rose by nearly 29 percent, and customer theft alone jumped by more than 41 percent. The EHI study points to high inflation as a partial explanation: consumer prices increased by more than 20 percent over the same period, with food prices up roughly 35 percent. Horst noted that many retailers believe the current political climate and economic outlook are putting financial pressure on consumers and employees, leading to more opportunistic theft. Staff shortages in stores also make crimes easier to commit.
Many retailers believe the current political situation and economic outlook are putting consumers and employees under financial pressure, leading to more opportunistic theft.
The German Retail Association (HDE) cited declining respect for property, lower acceptance of legal rules and deficits in criminal prosecution as additional factors. HDE chief executive Stefan Genth warned of increasingly professional gangs working through order lists from underworld clients.
Genuine order lists are being worked through by clients from the underworld.
Self-checkout tills generate higher losses, but EHI says their share is still too small to be the main driver of the increase; most unpaid items at self-checkouts result from operating errors rather than deliberate theft.
Response and outlook
Horst said thieves are becoming more aggressive and that security firms are being advised to wear stab-proof vests. The HDE called for more consistent prosecution of shoplifting and better resourcing of law enforcement and courts. For 2026, Horst does not expect another increase, provided no further political or social upheavals occur and improved prevention measures take effect.
The thieves are becoming more and more aggressive.
The study surveyed 103 companies operating 21,225 stores, with the results extrapolated to the entire German retail market. Frequently stolen items include alcoholic drinks, tobacco products, coffee and razor blades.
