Waitrose is set to introduce "smart cabinets" to lock away champagne and premium spirits as the supermarket ramps up efforts to combat soaring levels of shoplifting across its stores.
The upmarket grocer has informed staff that trials of the new locking technology will begin before the end of 2026 as part of a wider crackdown on retail crime.
John Lewis, Waitrose's parent company, told employees the move demonstrated the retailer was not "standing still" in its response to theft affecting shops across the country.
The initiative comes amid what Lucy Brown, John Lewis's director of central operations, described as "a tide of retail crime and epidemic of shoplifting" impacting the wider retail sector.
A John Lewis spokesman confirmed the retailer was investing heavily in new technology aimed at deterring criminals from targeting stores.
The spokesman said: "We are currently investing in a range of advanced technology, including smart technology to deter theft."
The smart cabinets are designed with monitoring systems capable of detecting how long cabinet doors remain open and identifying when products are removed from shelves.
Staff are then alerted if the technology detects suspicious activity, including attempts to clear entire shelves or cabinets of stock.
Waitrose to lock up champagne and spirits in anti-shoplifting crackdown
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Waitrose has not yet confirmed exactly how shoppers will gain access to products stored inside the locked cabinets once the trials begin.
Other supermarkets already testing similar systems have required customers to complete multiple steps before cabinet doors unlock.
At Sainsbury's, shoppers have reportedly been asked to follow a four-step process before accessing certain items secured behind locked units.
Some retailers also require customers to scan loyalty cards or input mobile phone numbers before products can be removed.
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The latest measures follow controversy surrounding the dismissal of a long-serving Waitrose employee who confronted a suspected shoplifter earlier this year
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The John Lewis spokesman added: "We already use smart shelf technology in our health, beauty and spirits aisles, which are able to sense unusual customer behaviour, so this would provide an additional layer of security."
Waitrose is also trialling several other anti-theft measures across stores as part of its broader investment in crime prevention.
The supermarket has begun testing protective "meat nets" aimed at preventing thieves from stealing expensive joints of meat from shelves.
Protective screens have additionally been installed at some tobacco and cigarette counters to stop criminals vaulting over tills and grabbing stock.
Walker Smith, who had worked for the company for 17 years, claimed he lost his job after attempting to stop a thief stealing Easter eggs.
John Lewis said at the time it had followed the "correct process" in handling the matter but declined to discuss the full details surrounding the case.
Ms Brown has urged employees to prioritise their own safety rather than physically intervening during incidents involving suspected thieves.
In a message to staff seen by The Telegraph, she acknowledged that workers' "first instinct may be to attempt to detain a suspect or recover the stock" but warned this "isn't always the safest thing to do".
Ms Brown encouraged workers to make use of body-worn cameras to capture evidence of shoplifting incidents for later investigation
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She also cautioned that restraining suspected criminals could create "potentially volatile" situations for staff and customers inside stores.
Instead, Ms Brown encouraged workers to make use of body-worn cameras to capture evidence of shoplifting incidents for later investigation.
She said: "We might not catch the shoplifter in that shop on that day, but we can use that evidence to catch them down the line."
John Lewis chairman Jason Tarry has previously stated that security staff should only "intervene to challenge shoplifters" when properly trained to do so and when conditions are considered safe.