Co-op branch makes major change to how customers purchase popular items in store

The branch took the precaution after the price of 200g of Kenco Smooth instant coffee was put up to £10.50.

Meanwhile, a similar-size container of Nescafe Gold Blend was removed after being put on sale for £9.35.

At the same time, GPS tracking cases were spotted on shelves at a Co-op food and petrol shop in Birmingham today.

Co-op, which operates a franchise model, said it was up to the individual store to decide whether to remove products from the shelves where there is a risk of theft.

A Co-op spokesperson said: “Protecting the safety of our colleagues is a priority and we know shoplifting can be a flashpoint for violence against shopworkers, so whilst this is not a nationwide policy, a store can decide to implement product security measures at a local level, if they are experiencing a particular issue.”

Walthamstow locals suggested that the inflation-busting price rise and precautions over a staple good were a “sign of the times”.

One said that £10 is “a ridiculous price for instant coffee” – while others said the need for security measures was “heart-breaking” and “tragic” as people had been left with no option but to steal coffee because the prices have risen so much.

ONS figures suggest that the average cost of instant coffee has risen by 13 per cent over the last year – with the rise outstripping inflation and average pay increases. Coffee pods saw an even steeper rise of 20 per cent.

After sharing a photo of the empty jars on Facebook, Sue Higgins, 59, told i: “Sometimes I’m drinking tea instead of coffee now myself because it’s cheaper. I did think the price was quite expensive… obviously, people are stealing the coffee, which is just unprecedented.

“It struck me how it reflected the times that we’re living in, that this is how desperate people are.

“I’ve never shoplifted but I can understand how people feel. It’s such a comfort to have a nice cup of coffee, and it’s very sad.

However, the British Retail Consortium (BRC), representing retailers, said the precautionary measures would not make a “jot of difference” to pricing and warned they could thwart efforts to cut inflation.

Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the BRC, said: “Rather than recreating 1970s-style price controls, the Government should focus on cutting red tape so that resources can be directed to keeping prices as low as possible.”

Overall consumer prices rose by 8.7 per cent in the year to April but food inflation remains very high at 19.1 per cent, according to the Consumer Prices Index.