Coles tests security upgrades to commercial property in Victoria

Coles is testing new security tech, including weighted shelves and locked cabinets. Picture: NewsWire

Aussie shoppers could soon face severely heightened security measures across major supermarkets if a trial currently being undertaken by Coles is successful.

The supermarket giant has begun testing a raft of new security measures to prevent product theft, including locked cabinets and weight-measuring shelves.

Coles is testing the new technologies at Melbourne’s Highpoint West store in light of Victoria’s skyrocketing theft and assault incidents at retail outlets.

Rising rates of theft in the Australian retail sector are a big concern for the stability of the country’s commercial property market.

Shop closures as a result of ongoing theft and revenue loss can have a cascading effect on local communities, reducing foot traffic, depressing nearby property values, and creating a sense of economic decline.

For landlords, the prospect of losing tenants amid rising retail crime is a growing concern, particularly in Victoria, which has become the epicentre of the problem.

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Coles is rolling out new security technology to combat theft. Picture: Nine

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Recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that retail crime in Victoria reached a 21-year high in 2023, with 169,673 victims of personal and retail theft recorded in 2024 – a staggering 29 per cent increase from the previous year.

High-value supermarket items like baby formula, meat and cosmetics are where Coles is using the new measures.

Weight-measuring shelves at the test site now house tins of baby formula where an alarm is triggered if too many items are removed at once, alerting staff to investigate.

“If a customer takes one item that’s a normal transaction, but if someone wants to what we call ‘sweep’ and take a large quantity in one go, [a bell rings],” Coles chief operations and supply chain manager Matt Swindells told 9 News.

“It could be a customer who wants to buy a large quantity of meat, which we’re delighted about, but more often than not though it’s not, and so there’s an intervention.”

Cosmetics at Coles Highpoint West are now stored in locked cabinets which staff can open remotely after viewing CCTV of the appropriate aisle.

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Coles chief operations and supply chain manager Matt Swindells says security is a huge issue, particular; y in Victoria. Picture: Nine

The two new test measures join beefed up security already in place at many Coles stores, including smart gates at check-outs to stop customers leaving if they haven’t paid for their items, and voice messages playing in stores that remind customers they are under CCTV surveillance.

Mr Swindells said increased security measures were not targeting “petty criminals”.

“These are organised crime gangs and they are coming to our stores repeatedly, stealing high-value items in high volume and then onselling them,” he said.

“This is real criminal activity and it’s something that’s been a problem, particularly in Victoria now, for over a year now.

“We’re not introducing screens and cameras for the sake of it, this is not Big Brother, trying to overreach and track everyone in every instance.

“This is about making sure it’s safe environment to shop and work in.”