#ShopKind with Central Co-op

What’s the purpose of Shopkind?
The aim of the ShopKind campaign is to encourage positive behaviours in shops, recognise the important role of shopworkers, and raise awareness about the scale and impact of violence and abuse against shopworkers.

Why are we supporting this campaign?
Violence and abuse against people working in retail has almost doubled on pre-pandemic levels. The BRC Crime Survey 2023 revealed that incidents, including racial and sexual abuse, physical assault, and threats with weapons, rose from the pre-Covid high of over 450 per day in 2019/20 to over 850 per day in 2021/22.

At Central Co-op, we want our store colleagues to feel safe in their place of work. By supporting the National Business Crime Centre’s ongoing campaign we hope to keep the ShopKind messaging at the forefront of our customers’ and colleagues’ minds.

What actions have we taken to improve safety for our colleagues?
We’re committed to keeping all our colleagues safe. To make this possible for our customer-facing staff, we’ve invested in headsets to ease communication between colleagues; security guarding in and around stores; and centrally monitored CCTV.

Bodycams have been installed in many of our stores too. Aaron Masters from our Armthorpe store says: “Colleague safety is paramount, and when it comes to having an extra gadget such as body-worn cameras, it provides that extra bit of reassurance, especially for colleagues in our store. They know they can confidently turn the camera on if they feel uncomfortable at any time, and the actions recorded can be dealt via necessary means.”

Along with these safety measures, we have an ongoing commitment to our colleagues’ health and wellbeing. We’ve enhanced colleague benefits to include free annual health checks, as well as access to a digital GP service.

Let's keep our communities safe and support the colleagues who serve them. Find out more about the #ShopKind campaign here.