Employees account for 40% of the value of theft across UK retailers, according to research from Retail Economics and Thruvision.

Staff working in distribution centres distribution and stores are responsible for the loss of £3.2bn.

The value of theft is forecast to cost UK retailers £7.9bn this year in total, the economic consultancy reports.

The report revealed nearly 43% of total employee theft comes from distribution centres, and two thirds of retailers interviewed thought over the past decade the opportunity for crime in warehouses had accelerated.

Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each morning 

Two-thirds of respondents thought financial pressure due to the cost-of-living crisis had led to a rise in theft by DC staff over the past year to some degree.

A quarter also thought the types of products being stolen had changed in the past year, shifting towards smaller items and valuable electrical products, as well as a shift towards essentials such as groceries and clothes.

Thruvision CEO Colin Evans said: “That employee theft is a rapidly growing problem is not a surprise, but the scale of financial losses suffered by UK retailers in their distribution centres really is.

“What is even more surprising is that so few retailers seem to be prepared to deal with this very serious problem when proven technology solutions exist”.

Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter