Wines and spirits, shaving razors and headphones, the most stolen products in shops in 2025

BarcelonaSpanish retailers lost 2.932 billion euros in 2025 due to theft, administrative errors, and supplier fraud, a figure equivalent to 1.1% of their annual sales. According to the Commercial Distribution Theft Barometer report, published this Tuesday, what are also termed "unknown losses" rebounded compared to the previous fiscal year and returned to historic highs. Wines and spirits and headphones were the most stolen products, according to the study.

After representing 0.9% of revenue in 2022 and decreasing to 0.74% in 2023, the figure has risen this year to 1.1%. In line with these data, more than half of the surveyed companies – 54% – acknowledge that thefts have increased over the last year.

The study, prepared by the Spanish association of manufacturers and distributors AECOC, indicates that one of the most critical points where thefts spike is at self-checkout registers. Specifically, two out of every three establishments state that robberies increase in these areas compared to registers staffed by personnel. In this regard, almost half of the respondents state that they invest additional resources to prevent fraud at these points.

The study concludes that wines and spirits are the most stolen products in Spanish retail within the food category, followed by Iberian cured meats and chocolate. Regarding the beauty sector, razors stand out. One step below are body care products, and makeup rounds out the podium in this area.

On the other hand, within the technology sector, headphones, mobile accessories, and video games stand out, while in the case of the fashion sector, the majority of thefts are of t-shirts and shirts, footwear, and underwear. The type of stolen product is similar to that of previous years, although in 2024, the theft of perfumes and olive oil had also stood out, the price of which was much higher then than it is currently.

Profile of the thieves

The barometer published this Tuesday indicates that the perpetrators of nearly half of the thefts –48%– are repeat offenders, that is, they carry out three or more thefts each year. By age, the survey points out that the most frequent profile is that of people under 30 years old, who are responsible for 52% of the robberies. Of these, 39% correspond to the group between 18 and 30 years old, and 13% to minors. For their part, adults between 31 and 50 years old account for 32% of cases, while those over 50 years old account for the remaining 15%.

Businesses, moreover, observe that 46% of thefts are committed by organized gangs operating for profit. In parallel, eight out of every ten establishments report that the aggressiveness of the offenders has been on the rise and warn that it is increasingly difficult to find security personnel.