Kmart and Target’s general manager of stores and central operations, Chris Renshaw, has called surging retail crime in Victoria a “serious problem”.
He has joined other retailers and unions to demand action from the state government and police to tackle the issue.
This comes as new research shows that Victorians are most concerned about rising crime levels. The research was commissioned by the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and the National Retail Association (NRA), and shows that 79 per cent of Victorians are concerned about criminal activity in the state.
The majority of Victorians see the State Government and police as responsible for protecting retail workers from crime and abuse, and 78 per cent of respondents said they would like to see the Victorian Government do more to address it.
“Rising retail crime has become a serious problem – and behind every statistic is a person who is just trying to do their job,” Renshaw said. “People from all stages in life work in our stores – and every one of them deserves to come to work feeling safe and supported, not facing threats or violence while doing their job.
“This is an issue that has united retailers and needs a coordinated response - we can all see that we need urgent action to better protect retail workers.”
ARA CEO Chris Rodwell said retail crime is not isolated to the one in ten Australians who work directly in retail.
"Almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of Australians have someone close to them working in retail, such as their direct family or close friends, or they work in retail themselves,” Rodwell said. “Further, 88 per cent of Australians visit retail stores for essential needs at least weekly.”
Victoria remains the national hot spot for retail crime and violence, accounting for 35 per cent of total incidents – 60 per cent more than any other state.
Victoria Police recorded 82,152 incidents in 2024 – a 27.6 per cent increase. For the 12 months to June 2025, there were 99,114 incidents – a further 20 per cent increase.
Threatening events surged 52 per cent and serious incidents rose 38 per cent, placing Victoria as the hardest-hit state. Nationally, weapon-related retail crimes increased 66 per cent year-on-year, highlighting growing danger to frontline workers.
While the reported data is alarming, it likely underestimates the true scale of the problem, as much retail crime goes unreported.
“The data clearly shows Victoria has become Australia's retail crime capital and is failing to adequately respond,” Rodwell said. “It remains the only state without strict, proactive legislation on retail crime. Without tougher penalties and stronger police powers to apprehend offenders, incidents will continue to escalate.”
Some of the immediate solutions that Rodwell, Kmart and others are calling for include a dedicated Police Taskforce for Retail Crime, introducing enforceable Workplace Protection Orders, implementing streamlined online reporting, and legislating increased police search powers through initiatives like Jack’s Law.
“ The safety of our team, customers and suppliers is our number one priority,” Bunnings chief people officer Damian Zahra said.
“We’ve got team members who are starting out in their first job through to those transitioning to retirement, and they deserve to show up to work every day and focus on delivering the best experience for our customers, not having weapons pulled on them.”
The commissioned research by the ARA also found that more than half of Victorians have witnessed some form of retail crime.
Nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) of Victorians say crime has impacted their overall feeling of safety. This compares to 66 per cent in other states and territories.
Nine in ten (89 per cent) say retail workers deserve the same respect as frontline workers, with 90 per cent supporting the introduction of workplace protection orders to prevent serious and repeat offenders from entering stores. Over three-quarters (77 per cent) support a dedicated retail crime taskforce, and 89 per cent support stronger penalties for those who abuse or assault retail workers.
“Threatening situations across our stores are at their worst in Victoria and continue to escalate,” Coles state general manager for Victoria, Chris McKellar, said. “That is why we are calling on the Victorian Government to act now and urgently introduce Workplace Protection Orders and a dedicated police taskforce.
Woolworths state director of operations for Victoria and Tasmania, Sarah Gooding, said she and other retailers have been calling for more protection amid growing crime.
“Violence and aggression is rising across the country, but Victoria accounts for more than 40 per cent of all our reported cases – we need this to change,” Gooding said.
“It’s important to remember that our team members are mothers, fathers, sons and daughters – many of them young people in their first job – come to work to help customers. Our team’s safety should be non-negotiable, and we’ll continue standing up for that.”