Landsec and the Retail Trust unite to tackle abuse towards retail workers ahead of the busy shopping season

• Partnership launches ahead of the peak shopping season to support retail workers across Landsec’s destinations
• Research shows growing intimidation and aggression towards retail workers, with one in four being physically attacked in the past year 
• Free de-escalation and wellbeing training for staff rolled out at Landsec’s Trinity Leeds, White Rose, Westgate Oxford, and Southside shopping centres – with hundreds having signed up so far

As the festive rush begins, Landsec has joined forces with the Retail Trust, the retail industry charity, to take a stand against rising abuse towards retail workers, with dedicated free training to help colleagues manage difficult interactions.

Through the charity’s Let’s Respect Retail campaign, Landsec and the Retail Trust are rolling out practical training¹ across four major Landsec shopping destinations – Trinity Leeds, White Rose, Westgate Oxford and Southside – offering 13,500+ retail staff the tools and confidence to handle challenging interactions and recover after difficult moments on the shop floor.

The partnership comes as research² from the Retail Trust shows that over three quarters (77 percent) of shop staff have experienced intimidating behaviour in the last year and a quarter (23%) were physically assaulted, with close to half (43 percent) saying they are being abused or attacked every week.

To amplify the message, the Let’s Respect Retail campaign took over Landsec’s Piccadilly Lights on Black Friday (28th November) – one of the UK’s biggest shopping days – broadcasting the smiles of respect from shop workers, members of the public and industry leaders on the iconic advertising screen. The visual spreads the message that simple measures of respect such as a hello, thank you or smile can help restore humanity to the high street.

Throughout December, Let’s Respect Retail materials will be visible across Landsec’s shopping centres, reminding millions of visitors that every act of kindness counts. Shoppers can also upload their own smiles of respect at retailtrust.org.uk/respect and shared smiles will appear on Piccadilly Lights on Wednesday 17th December.

Bruce Findlay, Managing Director – Retail at Landsec, commented: “Retail workers are the heartbeat of our industry, keeping shops, restaurants and experiences running day in, day out. Yet too many face hostility – simply for doing their jobs. With a leading retail platform that spans the UK, we have a responsibility to support the thousands who work in our centres and contribute so much, both to their local communities and the success of our places. This campaign is about creating an environment where everyone feels safe, respected and valued.

Whether through practical measures like training or small gestures of kindness, the Retail Trust’s campaign reminds us that everyone has a role to play. It’s in everyone’s interests to protect retail workers – when they feel supported and valued, it creates better customer experiences, stronger brand performance and thriving retail destinations.”

Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said: “Thoughtless, unkind and aggressive behaviour has become ‘part of the job’ for too many shop workers today. We want to teach thousands of people working at Landsec shopping destinations how to safely de-escalate these abusive situations and prioritise their mental health and recovery.

“Our campaign is also calling on everyone to restore respect to the high street this Christmas, starting with acts as simple as a thank you, a greeting, and a smile. We know that the smallest acts of recognition still make a huge difference to people who are facing daily hostility at work and the smiles appearing on Piccadilly Lights represent this call for dignity and decency.”

The Retail Trust has also been running free online training to help shop workers deal with abuse, with thousands taking part in the last year, including Anita Thorpe, the owner of Brixton Wholefoods. She said: “I found the training eye-opening. It was reassuring to know we are not alone in facing this issue. It provided me with useful information to help our team become more aware of how to manage personal safety issues at work.” 

¹ The free training sessions will run in early December, with hundreds of staff having signed up so far.

² Total survey size was 1,058. The survey took place online between 7th July and 13th August and due to the sensitive nature of the subject was carried out anonymously.