Aesop and Whistles stores resort to locked doors to tackle retail crime

Cosmetics and beauty specialist Aesop is locking store doors during opening hours in some locations to maintain safety as retail crime soars.

The Aesop branch on London’s Hampstead High Street is displaying a sign that reads: “We are currently operating with locked doors and limited numbers of customers in store for security reasons.”

Similarly, Whistles on Upper Street, Islington, bears a sign advising customers: “Please knock, and a team member will let you in shortly. We are operating a lock door policy.”

Neither retailer wished to comment, so it is unclear the extent to which other branches are also taking the same approach.

However, the decision reflects the lengths that retailers are being forced to go in order to protect staff and minimise theft as shop crime reaches unprecedented proportions.

The epidemic of abuse and stealing has prompted many to upgrade security by, for instance, issuing staff with bodycams or deploying facial recognition technology.

Former Harvey Nichols chief executive Manju Malhotra commented on LinkedIn about the Hampstead sign and said: “Many of the stores on the high street get raided regularly. It’s so sad and distressing for the store teams… the consequences are clear and sadly we have become desensitised to crime being a part of daily life.”

The 2025 BRC Crime Survey revealed that there were 2,000 violent or abusive incidents targeting retail workers every day – an increase of 50% year on year – and that 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.

This week the government vowed to do more to tackle retail crime.