Lidl has become the latest major supermarket to trial new "VAR-style" self-service checkouts in select UK stores as retailers battle record levels of shoplifting.

The German discounter has installed the technology at two London stores, featuring cameras that detect when shoppers fail to scan items properly. The system then plays back recorded footage of the missed scan on a screen before customers can complete their purchases.

The new checkout systems use "non-scan technology" and will require staff intervention if errors are not corrected, according to industry publication The Grocer. Lidl describes the initiative as its "latest bid to tackle theft".

The move follows similar trials by Tesco in May and Sainsbury's, with the technology earning the nickname "VAR-style" checkouts after football's Video Assistant Referee system. Home Bargains also uses comparable technology to combat so-called "skip-scanning".

The technology comes as shoplifting reaches unprecedented levels across the UK. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show police recorded 515,971 shoplifting offences in 2024, representing a 20 per cent increase year-on-year and the highest level since records began in 2003.

Lidl's privacy notice states that cameras using non-scan detection technologies are only active at checkouts and self-checkouts, with all facial images pixelated and no facial recognition technologies used. The company currently has no plans to roll out the technology more widely.

The supermarket is also launching additional digital innovations, including a new self-scanning feature integrated into the Lidl Plus app, which will be tested across four UK stores from September.

Chief executive officer at Lidl GB, Ryan McDonnell, said: "This marks a significant leap forward in our digital evolution. Whether customers prefer the traditional checkout, self-service or self scanning, at Lidl, they are always in control of how they shop."

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