Spanish Supermarkets Lock Up Olive Oil As Shoplifting Surges

One-litre bottles of extra-virgin olive oil are selling for as much as 14.5 euros ($15.77) in some supermarkets, propelling olive oil into the category of products retailers fit with security tags, alongside spirits, cosmetics and appliances.

Olive oil prices, now officially at 8 euros a litre, have surged by 150% over the past two years in Spain as a scorching drought in the south has dented the olive harvest. Organised criminal gangs are stealing the oil to resell, Navarro said.

Since September, Tu Super has been chaining large 5-litre bottles of olive oil together and padlocking them to shelves to prevent theft. It seems a crazy, extreme measure, though, it has worked according to Navarro.

Tu Super is not the only one tightening security: in some Carrefour and Auchan supermarkets in Madrid, one-litre bottles are fitted with security tags that have to be removed by staff.

Families in Spain typically buy olive oil in bulk for cooking. Among the world’s biggest consumers of olive oil, they have already significantly cut back: sales volumes of extra-virgin olive oil fell by 17% in the 12 months to September, according to NielsenIQ.

While thefts of olives and oil have increased especially, the measures by supermarkets also reflect a broader shoplifting surge. Spain’s top business organisation, CEOE, said there was a 30% increase in repeated thefts targeting retailers in 2022, and a further 12% so far in 2023. This situation is exacerbating the labour shortage, too.

Reuters