Shoplifting costs German retailers about €3 billion a year

Retailers in Germany lose roughly €3 billion each year to theft, according to a joint document prepared by the country’s retail association and the police union. The figure covers recorded shrinkage in stores, the paper says, and officials warn it underestimates the true scale of the problem.

Organised groups and repeat offenders cause disproportionate damage

Both HDE (German Retail Federation) and GdP (German Police Union) singled out professional theft carried out by organised groups as especially worrying, but noted that single offenders can also inflict high losses for individual businesses. The associations argue that many incidents remain unreported or undetected, which keeps the official tally below the real cost.

To strengthen investigations and criminal prosecutions, HDE and GdP call for the creation of specialised prosecutor offices focused on retail and organised theft. "For that purpose, it is necessary to further improve the exchange of information and the networking of the police, prosecutors and competent authorities," they say.

The groups also demand clearer legal rules on video surveillance in shops. Retailers and police want the German government to press for a uniform interpretation of European Union data-protection rules — referring to the GDPR — so that stores can use cameras more effectively while respecting privacy law.

The document stresses that the €3 billion estimate refers only to theft documented by stores and law enforcement; the actual economic impact, including related costs for staffing, prevention and insurance, is likely higher.

Separately, the same news feed noted a different figure: more than €64 billion has been lost in Germany due to breaches of minimum-wage rules, underscoring a broader set of compliance and enforcement challenges in the labour and retail sectors.

Photo: carnation-inc.com/