Sainsbury’s has become the largest grocer to join the Retail Trust, and hundreds of other businesses, campaigning for respect for shop workers ahead of Christmas.

Let’s Respect Retail aims to tackle shop worker abuse and encourage more positive customer behaviour, with messages appearing in stores, online and on receipts in the run-up to Christmas to remind customers to show simple signs of respect.

Hundreds of other retail and leisure businesses will back the campaign in November, and the Retail Trust is also joining forces with Usdaw, the Association of Convenience Stores and the National Business Crime Centre to show the scale of retail abuse and crime. More than three quarters of shop workers told the Retail Trust they faced abuse from customers last year.

Tracey Clements, chief retail, logistics and supply chain officer at Sainsbury’s, said: “No colleague should come to work worrying about abuse, threats or violence, which can have a serious and lasting impact on their wellbeing.

“We are taking action to keep colleagues and customers safe by investing in a range of measures across our sites but no retailer can tackle this alone, which is why we’re backing the Retail Trust’s Let’s Respect Retail campaign and calling on everyone to treat retail colleagues with the kindness and respect they deserve this Christmas and beyond.

Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning

The Retail Trust also provides training and tools to help workers deal with abuse, including at Landsec’s 17 shopping destinations nationwide where it is rolling out support to workers this autumn.

Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, added: “Some of the UK’s biggest retail and leisure businesses have been getting behind Let’s Respect Retail, showing the industry’s determination to end the unacceptable abuse and violence plaguing our shops and shopping centres and provide more help to those at risk.

“Sainsbury’s support will allow us to reach millions of shoppers as we work together to ensure everyone working in retail is treated with respect. A greeting or a thank you is the very least anyone serving on our high streets should expect, but too many shop workers dealing with daily hostility and aggression are being denied even those smallest and simplest acts of courtesy.”

Aldi and M&S have both publicly supported the campaign over the previous few months.