Over two-thirds of rural shops have experienced retail crime over the past year, according to a new study.

Research from the National Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Society (NFU Mutual) shows that across the 12 months to March 2025, 67 per cent of rural retailers suffered a crime, with more than half of those hit more than three times over the period.

The study, which surveyed 500 retail decision makers, also reveals that more than half of those working in rural retail (53 per cent) have taken security measures to protect themselves in the past 12 months.

The insurance business, which is owned by its policyholder members, additionally found almost three quarters (73 per cent) rural shops said they believe crime has increased over the last 12 months.

“Our research shows a worrying number of rural retailers are unfortunately falling victim to crime and we would urge farm shop owners to stay vigilant to protect their stock, staff and premises," said Zoe Knight, head of commercial, NFU Mutual. “We have seen businesses make huge efforts to feel protected from crime, with both technological and physical security put in place – while we work closely with our risk management specialists to try and reduce the threat of other shops becoming victims."

She went on to say that farm shops have been targeted due to their remote locations, calling on business owners to take the necessary preventative steps to deter thieves.

NFU Mutual advises retailers to use customer service as a tool to deter thieves because greeting them lets them know they have been acknowledged and may deter them as they have been identified.

It said that if investing in surveillance, companies should ensure the technology provides good quality images, is recorded to the cloud with links to mobiles and/or remote monitoring, and meets requirements of GDPR.

As well as this, it warned rural shops to be aware of cyber threats and make sure they have cyber insurance in place should the worst happen, urging them to hire data protection specialists to provide ongoing security of their data.

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