Retail Theft and Violence on the Rise: What the 2025 NRF Report Reveals and How Accountability Can Turn the Tide
Rhett Asher
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Retail Theft and Violence on the Rise: What the 2025 NRF Report Reveals and How Accountability Can Turn the Tide
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Retail theft and violence continue to rise at alarming levels, threatening not only merchandise and profits but also employee safety and community well-being. The National Retail Federation (NRF) and the Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC)’s latest study, The Impact of Retail Theft & Violence 2025, paints a sobering picture:
- Shoplifting incidents increased 18% year-over-year
- Threats or acts of violence during theft events rose 17%
- Two-thirds (67%) of retailers reported transnational organized retail crime (ORC) involvement
These trends confirm what ALTO teams observe daily in retail environments across the U.S.: Criminals are more organized, violent, and technologically sophisticated than ever before.
Rising Threats and Expanding Criminal Networks
According to NRF and LPRC researchers, ORC is no longer limited to in-store theft. Retailers are now facing phone scams (70%), digital and ecommerce fraud (55%), and cargo and supply chain theft (50%) driven by organized groups.
At the same time, repeat-offender theft increased for more than half of surveyed retailers. The scope of violence is widening as well: nearly three-quarters (73%) of retailers reported that shoplifters are exhibiting higher levels of aggression and violence compared to a year ago.
The consequences extend far beyond shrink. The NRF report highlights that violence-related thefts have forced 91% of retailers to increase employee safety training and 35% to address labor challenges tied to workplace fear and turnover.
Barriers to Prosecution and Accountability
Despite rising crime rates, 64% of retailers reported fewer than half of theft incidents to law enforcement, citing lack of response, low dollar thresholds, and limited prosecutorial engagement as top barriers.
These findings underscore the accountability gap ALTO is designed to close. Without consistent follow-through, from documentation to legal outcome, organized retail theft continues unchecked, emboldening repeat offenders.
How to Turn Data into Action
From my experience across the retail industry, I’ve learned that data is only powerful when it leads to accountability. When retailers, law enforcement, and prosecutors work together, incidents don’t just get recorded, they lead to real outcomes.
At ALTO, our integrated model of field engagement, evidence management, and legal advocacy helps businesses transform information into action by:
- Improving incident documentation and evidence quality to strengthen prosecutorial success
- Coordinating directly with law enforcement task forces and district attorneys to move cases forward
- Leveraging legislative updates, such as Texas SB 1300, which increases penalties for organized theft
- Promoting accountability as a proven deterrent to repeat offenses
This collaborative approach reflects what the NRF emphasizes in its “Next Steps”: the need for multi-level coordination among retailers, policymakers, and community partners to deter crime, restore public confidence, and make stores safer for everyone.
Building Safer Stores and Stronger Communities
Across the country, businesses are investing in cameras, lighting, and in-store deterrence measures to protect their teams and customers. Yet technology alone cannot solve what has become both a social and legal challenge. The most sustainable progress comes when prevention, data, and accountability work hand in hand.
At ALTO, we see the impact of partnership every day. When incidents are accurately documented, shared, and pursued through the right legal channels, repeat offenses decline, employee confidence grows, and communities begin to feel safer.
The reality is clear: retail theft and violence are not store problems. They are community challenges that require collaboration across retailers, law enforcement, and local leaders.
Together with our partners, ALTO is helping turn shared responsibility into lasting change; creating safer stores and stronger communities.
