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Superdrug to crack down on in-store aggression and violence at Christmas

Superdrug is encouraging people to ‘shop kind’ this festive season when they visit stores to buy Christmas gifts. The move is part of the retailer’s ‘Be…

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Superdrug to crack down on in-store aggression and violence at Christmas

3 December, 2020 | by Angela Beevers

Superdrug is encouraging people to ‘shop kind’ this festive season when they visit stores to buy Christmas gifts.

The move is part of the retailer’s ‘Be Kind, Shop Kind’ initiative which it launched in June 2020 in response to an increase in aggressive behaviour towards store staff during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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At the time, Superdrug said its employees had faced a 21% year-on-year increase in aggressive behaviour which the retailer said was often due to customers’ reactions to social distancing and Covid secure measures in-store.

Superdrug’s data from last year shows that the highest numbers of incidents of violence and aggression took place from October to December and the retailer has predicted that these figures will only increase this year.

Internal violence and aggression reports have also identified 20 hotspots around the country that show a marked uplift in the number of incidents. As a result, Superdrug is considering the introduction of body cams in these locations to keep staff and customers safe.

As an essential retailer, Superdrug has remained open throughout the national lockdown period. However, it is encouraging customers to shop online for non-essential items where possible.