Retail Safety Crisis: Wesfarmers Reveals Spike in Threats and Assaults on Employees

SYDNEY — Wesfarmers, the Australian conglomerate behind brands such as Bunnings and Kmart, has disclosed that its store employees were subject to more than 13,500 threatening incidents and around 1,000 physical assaults over the past 12 months, according to its latest corporate update.

The figures emerged as Wesfarmers released an updated trading outlook, with the retailer stressing that customer-facing staff remain at heightened risk amid mounting safety pressures in its stores.

Wesfarmers' retail operations span thousands of locations nationally, employing tens of thousands of frontline workers. The company noted that most incidents involve verbal threats but emphasised that physical assaults — although lower in number — are a growing concern.

Retail industry analysts say that the disclosure shines a spotlight on broader staff-safety issues across the Australian commerce sector. With labour-shortage pressures and rising customer frustration — driven by cost-of-living stresses and product availability challenges — retail workers are increasingly vulnerable.

Data from the company indicates that incidents were distributed across major banners, with hardware, discount-department and home-goods divisions all reporting elevated threat levels. The company has not broken the data down by brand or region.

Wesfarmers said it plans to roll out additional protective measures including faster incident escalation protocols, improved security personnel coverage and supplemental support for staff affected by traumatic events. The company flagged further investment in store-layout design aimed at reducing staff exposure in high-risk situations.