Stefan Genth, Managing Director of the German Retail Association (HDE), complains about an alarming increase in shoplifting in Germany.

"The damage caused by shoplifting in 2024 was three billion euros – 20 percent more than in 2022," Genth told the news portal T-Online. He rejected a direct connection between self-scanning checkouts and theft: "We cannot confirm this connection." Instead, Genth sees organized gangs and increasingly aggressive individual perpetrators as the main problem. "On the one hand, there is highly professional gang crime. Groups of criminals deliberately drive through city centers, steal high-value goods—perfume, shoes, electronics—and sell them on the gray market," says Genth.

"On the other hand, there's an increase in aggressive lone offenders who attack employees when caught." Genth also sees a great need for action in law enforcement: "Retailers file complaints, and the public prosecutors then drop the case for efficiency reasons. As a result, many retailers, frustrated, no longer report many shoplifting incidents to the police," Genth continues. "That's why the number of unreported thefts is extremely high: 98 percent of thefts go unreported." Genth called for legislative changes, investments in security, and better equipment for the justice system. "I fear a situation like the one in the US, where almost everything is behind glass. This is an expression of distrust toward all customers – even though over 90 percent are honest." The state must therefore "take tougher action" and better equip law enforcement agencies.