High street coffee chain Costa hires BOUNCERS to guard their food and drink as shoplifting epidemic hits new low

COSTA Coffee bosses have hired bouncers to protect their food and drink — as the shoplifting epidemic hits a new low.

Security guards have been deployed in stores where items are stolen by brazen thieves multiple times a day, including in London and Manchester.

Security guards now patrol some of its most high-risk outlets, in yet another damning indictment of Sir Keir Starmer’s lawless Britain.

Britain’s biggest coffee chain confirmed it had hired “additional support” to ensure stores are safe for its staff and customers.

It comes after similar thefts at Greggs revealed by The Sun last year, thought to be costing the bakery millions of pounds a year.

One of the worst-hit Costa stores is in Denmark Hill, South East London.

Situated on a high street near a busy train station, a full-time security guard now protects the fridges.

One regular said: “The area’s got quite bad in general but it’s shocking to see it spread to Costa. It was always a bit of a safe haven.

“They’ve clearly hit the tipping point where the cost of hiring a new full-time staff member is cheaper than continuing to lose money to thieves every day.

“It’s a real shame — it shows the area is a mess and shoplifters face no punishment.”

Customer Adam Cherry added: “Couldn’t buy a coffee from Greggs just now because they were busy dealing with a guy who was trying to loot all the sandwiches.

“Went to Costa instead, where they now have a bouncer standing next to the fridge.”

Another guard has been deployed to deter brazen shoplifters at a Costa store in Croydon, also in South London.

However, another branch — in Manchester city centre — is still falling victim to thieves despite ­hiring protection.

Items regularly pinched from the bustling Market Street store include £5.10 cheese and ham toasties and £4.10 stuffed croissants.

It borders the city’s Piccadilly Gardens, which have become a hotspot for anti-social behaviour.

One Costa staff member said: “We’re in Piccadilly so anything can happen here. We’ve had a few incidents in here but there’s also been quite a bit of shoplifting.

“They take things from the fridge — like toasties as well as orange juice and croissants. It’s crazy — nothing is safe these days.”

Costa Coffee has a 26 per cent share in the coffee shop market. Making it the country’s most popular cafe chain.

It is not known how many of its 2,700 stores have guards but it is thought to be dozens.

Retailers have been forced to bring in extra security measures amid a shoplifting epidemic, with staff routinely warned about confronting thieves.

Greggs adapted some of its stores so all products are behind the counter.

It has also deployed security at some outlets, as has McDonald’s.

M&S has issued staff with body-worn cams while Sainsbury’s last year introduced a checkout camera that records would-be thieves failing to scan items and plays it back to them.

The Heart of England Co-op group, which has 38 stores across the UK, has said chocolate theft alone cost it £250,000 last year.

Government figures reveal there were 519,381 shop thefts across England and Wales in the year to September 2025, up five per cent from 492,660 in 2024.

However some chains have stopped reporting incidents, with just 46,000 prosecutions last year.

Lucy Whing of the British Retail Consortium, told The Sun: “Retailers have invested over £5billion in the last five years to tackle theft and crime. Ultimately such theft is not a victimless crime, pushing up the price for honest shoppers.”

A Costa Coffee spokesman said: “Like many retailers, we continually review security measures across our stores and, in a small number of locations, have introduced additional support where appropriate.

“These measures are in place to support our teams and help ensure our stores remain safe and welcoming environments for everyone.”