Tesco Express stores resort to locked doors and remote-control access to stem rising crime

Customers at the convenience stores cannot walk into the shop without pressing a button outside. They are then checked by a manager or security from inside via CCTV cameras above the door before being granted access, Retail Week can reveal.

A spokesman for Tesco said every Express convenience store location across the UK has been equipped with this system to prioritise the safety of employees.

The spokesman would not confirm why the three stores in question were currently operating remote-control door access. Retail Week understands there had been a spate of armed robberies in the area, which may have prompted the implementation of the policy.

Tesco has resorted to using this method to combat crime before, with an Express store in Bristol in April operating a remote-control door access policy following an increase in shoplifting.

As Retail Week first reported earlier this month, health and beauty specialist Aesop and fashion retailer Whistles have also turned to locking store doors to tackle crime.

The news comes at a time when the industry is struggling to deal with a rising tide of violent crime and abuse of staff members.

The 2025 BRC crime survey found there were 2,000 violent or abusive incidents targeting retail workers every day – an increase of 50% year on year – and 70 incidents per day involved a weapon.

Annual losses as a result of customer theft totalled a record £2.2bn, and retailers spent £1.8bn – also a record – on crime prevention.

Two weeks ago, crime and policing minister Diana Johnson told Retail Week the government was with retailers “every step of the way” and would be increasing the number of police officers on the beat in over 500 towns and city centres across the country over the remainder of the summer.

“This is a team effort, and I hope that retail partners across the country will report back on positive outcomes they’re seeing in the days and weeks ahead,” she said.